WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.1% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also moved back, decreasing 0.1%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 11 posted month-over-month declines and 7 finished higher.

The September index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 284.4 of the 1982-84 average, up 2.5% from a year ago. For all food at home, the September index was 251.4, up 3.9% from September 2019.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in September was 232.8, up 0.2% from August and up 2.5% from September 2019. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 240.3, down 0.9% from August but up 0.7% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.4, up 2% from the previous month and up 2.8% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 243.9, down 1.4% from August but up 2.6% from September 2019.

The price index for bakery products in September was 314.3, down 0.1% from August but up 2.5% from September 2019.

The September index for bread was 192.3, up 0.3% from August and up 3.7% from September 2019. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 350.5, down 0.3% from August but up 3.9% from September 2019. For bread other than white, the index was 373.1, up 0.9% from August and up 4% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in September was 187.3, up 0.5% from August and up 4.1% from September 2019. The September index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 294.2, down 0.5% from August but up 0.5% from September 2019. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 311.9, down 0.5% from August and down 2% from September 2019; and cookies, 277.3, down 0.8% from the previous month but up 0.9% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in September was 278.3, down 0.5% from August but up 2.2% from September 2019. Under this heading, other price indexes in September included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 319.7, down 2% from August but up 2.6% from September 2019; crackers and cracker products, 318, down 1.2% from August but up 2.1% from September 2019; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 276.1, up 1.4% from August and up 2% from the previous year.