The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products increased 0.3% in April.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, World Grain’s sister publication, 10 posted month-over-month increases, while 8 finished lower.
The April index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 273.9% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.2% from a year ago. For all food at home, the April index was 240.6, down 0.3% from April 2015.
The CPI for cereals and cereal products in April was 232, up 0.3% from March but down 1.3% from April 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 244, up 2% from March but down 1.8% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.7, down 0.2% from the previous month and down 1.5% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 241, up 0.3% from March but down 0.9% from April 2015.
The price index for bakery products in April was 297.7, up 0.3% from March and up 0.9% from April 2015.
The April index for bread was 177.7, down 0.4% from March and down 0.3% from April 2015. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 320.5, down 0.7% from March and down 1% from April 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 344.6, down 0.3% from March but up 0.8% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in April was 175.9, down 0.3% from March but up 0.9% from April 2015. The April index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 282.4, down 0.1% from March but up 3.2% from April 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 296.1, down 1.3% from March but up 3.5% from April 2015; and cookies, 271.6, up 1.2% from the previous month and up 2.8% from the previous year.
The CPI for other bakery products in April was 268.2, up 1.5% from March and up 0.3% from April 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in April included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 292.5, down 0.2% from March and down 1.3% from April 2015; crackers and cracker products, 311.1, up 2.5% from March and up 0.7% from April 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 270.1, up 0.8% from March but down 0.9% from the previous year.
