WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products decreased 0.7% in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also moved back, decreasing 0.6%.

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

The November index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 282.8 of the 1982-84 average, up 2.3% from a year ago. For all food at home, the November index was 250.4, up 3.5% from November 2019.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in November was 231, down 0.5% from October but up 2.6% from November 2019. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 232.2, down 2.5% from October but up 3.4% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 225.6, down 0.6% from the previous month but up 3% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 243, up 0.2% from October and up 1.9% from November 2019.

The price index for bakery products in November was 312.8, down 0.7% from October but up 2.2% from November 2019.

The November index for bread was 192.7, down 0.5% from October but up 2.6% from November 2019. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 350.7, down 0.7% from October but up 2.7% from November 2019. For bread other than white, the index was 373.6, down 0.6% from October but up 2.9% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in November was 185.2, down 0.6% from October but up 2.6% from November 2019. The November index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 295.5, down 0.5% from October but up 0.5% from November 2019. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 310.1, up 0.1% from October but down 4.3% from November 2019; and cookies, 278.2, down 1.7% from the previous month but up 1.7% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in November was 274, down 1.2% from October but up 3% from November 2019. Under this heading, other price indexes in November included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 327.6, up 1% from October and up 4.8% from November 2019; crackers and cracker products, 312.5, down 0.7% from October but up 5.1% from November 2019; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 266.6, down 3.4% from October and down 0.5% from the previous year.