Cheapest place to buy baby formula this week as major probe launched into ‘exploitative’ high prices

THE cost of baby formula is continuing to skyrocket, putting huge pressure on parents.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said formula prices had risen by a quarter over the past two years.

The regulator has been investigating the baby milk market after finding it was vulnerable to higher-than-inflation price rises.

A fresh probe into the supply of formula has now been launched.

It said last autumn that the baby formula market was highly concentrated, with just two companies accounting for 85% of sales.

This meant few parents had switched as prices rose, with the CMA revealing that infant formula prices were up by 25% on average over two years.

There is just one retailer in the UK which sells its own brand, which is Aldi.

The CMA found that parents could save more than £500 over the first year of a baby’s life by buying cheaper formula options.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) told Sky News last year that it wanted government action over escalating baby formula prices that were “exploiting” British families.

Retailers, not brands, are the ones who set the shelf price of the products – which is what shoppers pay.

To help you save as much money as possible, we had a look at the cheapest shops parents can buy baby formula this week.

We chose the four “best” first baby formula milk brands according to Which? and used Trolley.co.uk to compare prices across the major supermarkets.

The cheapest we found was for £9.75, while the most expensive price was £13.50.

You can compare prices on websites like Google shopping and Trolley.co.uk – which compares the prices of 130,000 products across 14 major supermarkets.

The Latest Deals app also lets you search items and lets you compare prices at several supermarkets to see where it’s cheaper.

Of course, make sure to have a look across all the chains on the day you’re shopping in case better deals pop up.

You can find your local branch of your chosen supermarket on their websites.

Below we’ve rounded up the cheapest shops and any deals they might have on this week.

Aptamil

First up is Aptamil’s First Baby Milk Formula Powder from Birth, which comes in an 800g tub.

The cheapest shop to pick up a tub of this is at Iceland, where it costs £11.20.

This works out at just £1.40 per 100 grams.

This price is market-leading for the brand and was announced back in January.

It follows Danone’s agreement to reduce the price it offers its Aptamil powdered formula to shops by up to 7% from January 15.

The following supermarkets all are offering the same tub for £13.50: Asda, Boots, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Waitrose and Tesco.

This is a whopping £2.30 more expensive than Iceland’s price and works out at £1.69/100g.

SMA

We then had a look at the lowest prices for SMA’S PRO First Infant Milk From Birth.

This also comes in an 800g tub.

Again, Iceland came in first place at £12.25 – or £1.53 per 100g.

In joint second place was Asda and Tesco at £13 for a tub, working out at £1.63/100g.

The most expensive are then Boots, Ocado and Waitrose.

Each of these chains are selling the tub for £13.50 each, or £1.69 a tub.

Cow & Gate

The cheapest place to buy Cow & Gate 1 First Baby Milk Formula Powder is also Iceland.

The 800g tub costs just £9.75 from the frozen food specialist, this equates to £1.22/100g.

The next cheapest are Asda, Boots, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Tesco.

These chains are each selling the milk substitute for £10.50 – or £1.51 per 100g.

HiPP Organic

Finally, we looked at HiPP Organic’s 1 First Infant Baby Milk Powder from Birth – Combiotic Tub.

We found you could find the 800g tub in the following chains for £13.50: Asda, Boots, Ocado, Sainsbury’s Waitrose and Tesco.

This works out at £1.97 per 100g.

What is the CMA probe?

The CMA said on Tuesday that while prices of some formula products have fallen since November, they are still at “historically high levels”.

The new market study is aiming to gather evidence on consumer behaviour, the role of regulation in the market and features of the formula market, such as barriers to entry and expansion.

The CMA plans to produce a final report in September and if it finds there are problems in the market, it could take action to help solve them.

This could include recommending new regulations on how formula is marketed or on the information given to parents to help them choose specific brands.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said: “Whilst it’s a positive sign that prices of some products have fallen since our update last November, the cost of infant milk remains at historically high levels.

“We’re concerned that parents don’t always have the right information to make informed choices and that suppliers may not have strong incentives to offer infant formula at competitive prices.”

She added that it is determined to ensure the market is working well for new parents who depend on infant formula and any changes the CMA propose must be based on evidence and a strong understanding of the market.

Its market study will also look at special medical formula milk, such as anti-reflux and comfort formulas, and so-called follow-on milk, as well as toddler milks.

What help is there for parents?

Healthy Start vouchers are for parents who are pregnant or have a child under four years old.

The vouchers are worth £4.25 a week, or £221 a year.

But those with a child under the age of one get two vouchers – so £8.50 a week – which adds up to £442 a year.

The vouchers can only be used to buy the following:

• Fresh fruit and veg
• Tinned or frozen fruit or veg
• Dried fruit
• Fresh, dried or tinned pulses
• Fresh or long-life pasteurised cow’s milk
• Baby formula made from cow’s milk

These should not be:

• Any frozen or tinned foods with added ingredients like fat, salt, sugar or flavourings, such as tinned tomatoes with herbs or kidney beans in chilli sauce
• Chips or onion rings
• Tinned fruits in syrup
• Smoothies or juices
• Plant-based milk
• Follow-on formula
• Powdered, condensed or flavoured milk (apart from stage one infant formula)

You can also get free Healthy Start vitamins with the vouchers.

There used to be paper vouchers, but now the money is loaded onto a prepaid card that can be used at any location where Mastercard is accepted.

You can’t use the prepaid card for online shopping or to withdraw money from a cash machine, but you can check your balance at an ATM.

How do I claim the vouchers?

To be eligible for Healthy Start vouchers, you need to be at least 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under four.

Your family’s monthly take-home pay from work must also be less than £408 a week and you need to receive Universal Credit.

If you receive Child Tax Credit you may still be able to apply, for example, if your family’s annual income is less than £16,190 or you do not receive Working Tax Credit.

If you’re under 18 and pregnant you can claim the vouchers until the baby is born, even if you do not receive any benefits.

To apply, you can use the government website, print out a paper form from the Healthy Start website or request a form from your GP or midwife.

There’s also an option to request a form by calling the Healthy Start helpline on 0345 607 6823.

Once you’ve applied online, you should receive your card within five to 10 working days.

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