Parents set to save hundreds on baby formula in new crackdown
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in healthGet our free Health Check emailGet our free Health Check emailThe Government is set to do more to help parents access baby formula "at more affordable prices", the Prime Minister has stated. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons the plans would help parents save up to £500 before a child’s first birthday. He said: “Our Budget took important measures to tackle the cost of living.“That’s why we’ve frozen rail fares, prescription charges, and cut energy bills for every family by £150.“Today, we’re going further.“For too long, parents have been pushed into spending more on infant formula than needed, told they’re paying for better quality, and left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.“I can announce today that we’re changing that.“We will take action to give parents and carers the confidence to access infant formula at more affordable prices, with clearer guidance for retailers and helping new parents use loyalty points and vouchers.“Together, that will save them up to £500 before their child’s first birthday.”open image in galleryThe Government will do more to help parents access baby formula ‘at more affordable prices’, the Prime Minister has said (PA Wire)The Prime Minister said the plan builds on the Government’s “action to lift half a million children out of poverty” and ahead of the Government Child Poverty Strategy.The change is intended to help those who cannot – or choose not – to breastfeed their babies and alleviate child poverty.The announcement comes after a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) study published earlier this year, whichidentified widespread issues including misleading marketing, information gaps, and significant cost burdens on low-income families.Officials said the NHS could have its own non-brand baby formula, in a bid to help drive prices down.It also said existing products should be provided in non-branded containers in hospitals to reduce brand influence while parents are in a “vulnerable” setting.The CMA said packaging should clearly display nutritional information, while any claims that cannot easily be checked by parents should be banned.It said this would make it easier for parents to pick between brands.open image in galleryThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said issues like high prices and branding in the industry are leading to ‘poor outcomes‘ for parents, who could be saving about £300 a year by switching to lower-priced products (Getty/iStock)Regulators had previously pointed to prices surging by 25% over the previous two years, while consumers have borne the brunt of rising factory costs.The industry is dominated by just three companies – Danone, Kendal and Nestle, which make up about 90 per cent of the market.However, the CMA stopped short of recommending a price cap, which it had said it was looking into last year.In a statement, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “New parents want the best for their baby, and it’s wrong that vague on-pack messages are leaving families out of pocket for an essential product.“It’s not right that manufacturers have been able to package up these products in a way that plays on the instincts of new mums and dads who are just trying to do what’s right for their child.“These new measures mean parents will have confidence in the formula they are buying, no matter the price, and can now make the most of supermarket loyalty schemes too.“It will put hundreds of pounds back into the pockets of parents, who can spend that money on their child, their siblings, household essentials – and is just one of the ways this government will end child poverty.”NCT (National Childbirth Trust) chief executive Angela McConville said the Government “could have gone further”.She said: “Stronger rules on labelling and advertising are still needed, including a pre-approval process for all infant formula labels to make sure claims are accurate and not misleading.“We also wanted to see brand influence removed from healthcare settings altogether, with standardised labelling used wherever parents receive feeding information or support.”
