WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.6% in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 0.1%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 13 posted month-over-month increases and 5 finished lower.

The February index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 356.6% of the 1982-84 average, up 1.7% from a year ago. For all food at home, the February index was 305.5, up 1% from February 2023.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in February was 287, up 1.1% from January and up 0.7% from February 2023. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 320.8, down 0.2% from January but up 0.6% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 277.2, up 2% from the previous month and up 2.3% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 292.6, up 0.7% from January but down 0.7% from February 2023.

The price index for bakery products in February was 397.2, up 0.4% from January and up 2.1% from February 2023.

The February index for bread was 239.1, down 0.5% from January but up 1.5% from February 2023. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 433.5, down 1.2% from January but up 1.7% from February 2023. For bread other than white, the index was 466.9, up 0.4% from January and up 1.4% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in February was 234.3, down 0.7% from January but up 1.1% from February 2023. The February index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 376.7, up 1.8% from January and up 2% from February 2023. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 392.2, up 1% from January and up 2% from February 2023; and cookies, 356, up 2.1% from the previous month and up 1.9% from the previous year.