The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products decreased 0.3% in May.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, World Grain’s sister publication, 13 posted month-over-month decreases, 4 finished lower, and 1 was unchanged.
The May index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 273.1% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.2% from a year ago. For all food at home, the May index was 239.4, down 0.7% from May 2015.
The CPI for cereals and cereal products in May was 232.2, up 0.1% from April but down 1.4% from May 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 246.2, up 0.9% from April but down 1.8% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.9, up 0.1% from the previous month but down 1.6% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 240.7, down 0.1% from April and down 0.9% from May 2015.
The price index for bakery products in May was 296.2, down 0.5% from April but up 0.4% from May 2015.
The May index for bread was 177.7, unchanged from April and up 0.2% from May 2015. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 322.7, up 0.7% from April but down 0.5% from May 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 342, down 0.8% from April but up 0.9% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in May was 174.5, down 0.8% from April but up 0.6% from May 2015. The May index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 280.7, down 0.6% from April but up 1.6% from May 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 294.8, down 0.4% from April but up 1.9% from May 2015; and cookies, 269.2, down 0.9% from the previous month but up 1.3% from the previous year.
The CPI for other bakery products in May was 266.2, down 0.7% from April and down 0.5% from May 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in May included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 291.4, down 0.4% from April and down 0.2% from May 2015; crackers and cracker products, 310.3, down 0.3% from April but up 0.5% from May 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 267, down 1.1% from April and down 1.2% from the previous year.
