WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.6% in March, giving back the 0.6% gain it recorded in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, was basically unchanged.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 15 posted month-over-month decreases and 3 finished lower.

The March index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 354.7% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.2% from a year ago. For all food at home, the March index was 305.4, up 1.2% from March 2023.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in March was 284.9, down 0.7% from February and down 1.3% from March 2023. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 320.1, down 0.2% from February and down 0.2% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 272.9, down 1.6% from the previous month and down 1.7% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 292.2, down 0.2% from February and down 1.4% from March 2023.

The price index for bakery products in March was 395.3, down 0.5% from February but up 0.9% from March 2023.

The March index for bread was 236.9, down 0.9% from February but up 0.2% from March 2023. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 431.3, down 0.5% from February but up 0.2% from March 2023. For bread other than white, the index was 459, down 1.7% from February but up 0.1% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in March was 235.3, up 0.5% from February and up 2.6% from March 2023. The March index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 372.9, down 1% from February but up 0.2% from March 2023. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 391.9, down 0.1% from February but up 1% from March 2023; and cookies, 351.6, down 1.2% from the previous month but up 0.1% from the previous year.