Report calls for ‘bold measures’ to tackle formula milk price surge

Some 65% of women surveyed for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) revealed they felt anxious or worried about the cost of formula.

The skyrocketing cost of baby formula is having a ‘devastating’ effect on families, a new report has revealed.

Some 65% of women surveyed for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) revealed they felt anxious or worried about the cost of formula – which has risen by 25% in just two years.

One box of the cheapest formula milk costs more than the £8.50 per week voucher families on benefits can claim.

Mamia First Infant Milk from Aldi – the cheapest infant formula on the market – has increased from to £9.39, a 34% increase over two years.

SMA Little Steps First Infant Milk from Tesco has gone up to £9.75 – an 18% increase over the same period.

Aptamil 1 First Milk has increased to £14.50 – a whopping 26% over two years.

Many women surveyed had cut back on food for the rest of their family to feed their babies and introduced cow’s milk to their child prematurely to help with costs.

Others harmed their own physical and mental well-being by trying to breastfeed more, even while finding it intensely painful, to cope with the rising prices.

83% of those polled supported measures to help with costs, such as allowing parents to collect and use supermarket loyalty points and vouchers when buying formula milk – guidance aimed at preventing the marketing of formula currently prevents.

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BPAS concluded that ‘bolder, long term solutions’ are needed, such as price caps or subsidised national infant milk.

Some 99% of babies are fed formula milk, either entirely or partially, in the first six months of life, BPAS said.

That’s why a wave of celebrities and supermarkets have backed Metro.co.uk and Feed UK launched the Formula for Change campaign – and more than 50,000 people signed our online petition.

Grocery giant Iceland was the first retailer to lend its public support to Metro.co.uk and Feed’s Formula for Change campaign, calling on the government to scrap ‘archaic’ laws restricting how retailers can sell baby formula amid the cost of living crisis.

Iceland went as far as cancelling its Christmas advertisement – with Iceland executive chair Richard Walker saying they could not justify spending money on it.

He said: ‘With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, stubbornly high food inflation and increased household costs still impacting our shoppers on a daily basis, we could not in good conscience spend millions of pounds on a flashy Christmas marketing campaign.’

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