Feed Statement: Measures to reduce formula costs for families

Recent media coverage has shone the spotlight sharply on the cost of infant formula and the sometimes difficult decisions women and their families are having to make in order to ensure their baby is properly fed as prices have risen rapidly.  Feed is a national charity established to support women’s feeding choices and infant health and nutrition, and we accept that there is no one “quick fix” to secure access to affordable infant formula for all those who need it. It is our position that the Government need to ensure families have enough money to put food on the table by supporting the creation of secure jobs that pay a Real Living Wage, and that benefits must increase in line with inflation, as outlined by IFAN in their recent report on ‘reducing food insecurity in UK households with infants’.

A good place for the UK Government to begin would be by implementing the recommendations of the Healthy Start Working Group (of which Feed is an active member), including uplifting the value of the scheme, expanding eligibility and making enrolment automatic for those eligible. At a Local Authority level, we need urgent implementation of emergency formula access pathways and joined up collaboration with the third sector and Feed are actively working with the Scottish Government, and other key stakeholders to support the development of these pathways. 

As the powers that be are working on putting money in families pockets, which will take time, there are a number of immediate measures that could be taken which could alleviate some of the burden currently felt so acutely by some families.

Our Formula for Change campaign, in partnership with Metro, calls for clarification of the regulations governing the sale of infant formula in the UK, to enable supermarkets to accept cash equivalent methods as payment for infant formula. These include store gift cards and grocery vouchers, which are often provided by food and baby banks to families who need formula, as well as loyalty points. It is our, and others, interpretation that this is currently permitted by UK law, and that there is no need for the law to be changed to achieve this.

We applaud the measures taken by Iceland and Asda to allow their loyalty schemes to be used in the purchase of formula milk, and encourage other major retailers to follow their lead. However, in the absence of a definitive statement from the Department for Health and Social Care, there is clearly confusion and apprehension within the retail industry; urgent clarification is therefore critical.

Feed also wants to see the promotion of information that makes clear that all infant formula milks are nutritionally equivalent and that there is no need to buy more expensive varieties.  In an environment where women may feel guilty or stigmatised for needing to use infant formula, evidence increasingly suggests families opt for what is perceived by virtue of the higher price to be a “superior” or “more nutritious” product for their baby, even when all milks must by law meet the same standards.   Retailers could play a major role in conveying this information to their customers, alongside signposting to Healthy Start and Best Start schemes that provide families financial support for buying formula and other nutritious foods. We wrote to retailers in January 2023 asking them to promote this important information to families. None replied.

There are currently no legal restrictions of food and baby banks being able to provide first infant formula, and many increasingly do. Food bank provision is not a long term sustainable source of affordable formula for families however it remains an important port of call for families in crisis. Feed support organisations to help families who need formula via our guidance to ensure safe and dignified provision of formula.

Ultimately we need an infant feeding framework, law and regulations which support the needs of women and their families rather than the interests of the formula milk companies who have continued to reap substantial profits during a cost of living crisis, as recently highlighted by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

We look forward to the findings of the CMA’s investigation into the formula milk market due to be published later this year. It is our position that while the recommendations outlined above could provide some support for families in the short term, significant action is required to rectify a situation where competition and market forces have failed to deliver fair formula pricing for families. Our aim is to secure a future in which women and their families have access to the infant milk they need, at a price that reflects the cost of production , and have the information and support they need to make the choices that are right for them and their babies.