WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for U.S. baked foods and cereal products rose 0.1% in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also increased, climbing 0.4%.

Of the 18 items followed by World Grain’s sister publication Milling & Baking News, half posted month-over-month gains and half finished lower.

The March index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 270.7% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.4% from a year ago. For all food at home, the March index was 237, up 1.4% from March 2013.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in March was 233.6, up 0.9% from February and up 1% from March 2013. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 254.5, down 0.1% from February but up 1.1% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 227.9, up 0.7% from the previous month and up 0.8% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 240.1, up 1.5% from February and up 0.7% from March 2013.

The price index for bakery products in March was 291.4, down 0.4% from February but up 0.1% from March 2013.

The March index for bread was 174.8, down 0.9% from February and down 1% from March 2013. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 316.7, down 1.6% from February and down 1.7% from March 2013. For bread other than white, the index was 339.6, up 0.1% from February but down 0.3% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in March was 172.7, down 0.7% from February but up 0.8% from March 2013. The March index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 273.2, up 0.2% from February and up 1.2% from March 2013. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 282.1, down 0.1% from February but up 1.1% from March 2013; and cookies, 265.8, up 0.2% from the previous month and up 1.2% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in March was 263.7, down 0.2% from February but up 0.2% from March 2013. Under this heading, other price indexes in March included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 289.9, down 0.1% from February but unchanged from March 2013; crackers and cracker products, 300.4, down 2.2% from February and down 0.1% from March 2013; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 274.1, up 1.5% from February and up 1.3% from the previous year.