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Original poster

I thought this wasn’t allowed ?? Formula ‘promotion’

37 replies

BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 22:51

Just this week I’ve seen in 3 different shops (Boots x2 different stores, Morissons and Superdrug) discounted baby formula.
I thought this wasn’t allowed for first milk??
It was hungry milk though if that makes a difference (Aptamil-the 200ml bottles)

OP posts:
Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 22:51

All cut to half price

OP posts:
KittysMyName · 24/10/2018 22:53

That’s weird, I didn’t think that was allowed either.

Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 22:57

I wondered perhaps as it was ‘hungry’ milk the rules may be different it just seems a bit odd so many in quite a few places and I never see formula on offer

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GetYourRocksOff · 24/10/2018 22:59

Was it near its use by date? So a reduction rather than a promotion as such? I wonder if that makes a difference?

SailAwayWithMeHuni · 24/10/2018 22:59

I believe it’s only standard formula they aren’t allowed to put on offer. It’s the only reason they make hungry baby and follow on milk etc.

Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 23:01

No but I think they have been changing the packaging for that brand recently so perhaps that?

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Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 23:02

I wasnt sure as it’s from birth but it wasn’t standard first formula.

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WarlocksAreLocks · 24/10/2018 23:04

Under UK law they are only allowed to reduce or do promotions on milks for 6m onwards. No first milks (comfort, hungry, ordinary etc) are allowed to be on offer regardless of short dates or damaged boxes etc

Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 23:05

There was another brand too in one of the shops, I think that was hungry version too

OP posts:
Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 23:06

Seems odd as I never see it then in a week seen so much on offer

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LOL7 · 24/10/2018 23:06

It is illegal to promote or discount any 'from birth' formula. You can call the stores to make them aware, and report to baby milk action.

WarlocksAreLocks · 24/10/2018 23:07

www.babymilkaction.org/monitoring-uk

Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 23:09

Thankyou I will do that
Just found it odd suddenly seeing the bottles of it on sale as I often look at reduced section and have never seen baby milk before

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blacksax · 24/10/2018 23:13

Do the powers-that-be really think that anyone would actually make the decision not to breastfeed based on a special offer on formula in a supermarket? Nanny state gone mad.

Original poster
BabbleBubble · 24/10/2018 23:18

That’s true. I breastfeed and seeing the milk on offer didn’t make me think oh I’ll change! But I knew I’d seen somewhere it was apparently not allowed and suddenly seeing it everywhere I wondered why

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thecapitalsunited · 24/10/2018 23:19

No but they think that getting it on offer one week then the price going up the next makes it hard to budget and would result in people watering it down etc to make it go further when they can’t afford to pay the non-offer price.

AvoidingDM · 25/10/2018 07:07

They are probably allowed to reduce the price or it would be classed a price fixing.

Hows this for bonkers, your not allowed to promote alcohol in Scotland so can't sell 3 bottles of wine for a tenner but you can reduce bottles to £3.33.

My guess is reducing the individual milk prices is allowed. You just can't do multi buy offers, collect loyalty points, do discout vouchers, advertise on tv or other media.

As pp whos going to make the decision based on a discount price.

LooksBetterWithAFilter · 25/10/2018 07:16

You wouldn’t be able to reduce to £3.33 anymore in Scotland no we have minimum alcohol pricing. Missed it when they did away with three for a tenner although I did start buying better wine so when I some of the prices went up with minimum pricing the wines I liked didn’t change.

LooksBetterWithAFilter · 25/10/2018 07:17

And you aren’t allowed to make formula reductions either on suitable from birth milk including reductions for close to dates. Like a pp said it’s not about women deciding to ff because of the price it’s about making formula incorrectly if you’ve been buying it at an offer price then not being able to afford it when the offer ends and it goes back up to normal price.

Whereisthecoffee · 25/10/2018 07:17

I actually wouldn’t report it in the uks current financial state it might really help someone struggling to afford to feed their child

PiperPublickOccurrences · 25/10/2018 07:22

It's most definitely NOT allowed. The law is clear - no promoting infant milks. That means no discounting, no reduced to clear, no BOGOF or 3 for 2. You can't even earn loyalty points on it. Follow-on milks can be promoted and discounted, as can toddler milks. But not "suitable from birth" milks.

They are allowed to choose the price they sell product at - but not promote them A supermarket might decide to sell a particular brand for £8 on a permanent basis when everyone else is selling it for £10. That's fine. What's not allowed is for them to put up posters showing the new deal, plastic shelf advertising or huge stickers to draw your attention.

However lots of supermarket managers are ignorant of this fact and whack lots of close to sell by date infant milk in the reduced to clear. If you see it again, take a picture and report to Baby Milk Action.

Patienceofatoddler · 25/10/2018 07:23

Those saying that it's a crazy law.

We have some of the lowest breast feeding rates in the developed world.

Go into a supermarket in Europe (Poland for example) and see how much formula is on the shelf compared to in the U.K.

There is reasons why these products have restrictions on them because seeing a different type or brand of milk on offer will and can tempt people to change causing issues for baby.

Personally I would always report it when I see it as they are breaking the law which is there to protect babies.

BarbaraofSevillle · 25/10/2018 09:05

Well seeing as breastfeeding is cheap/free (mother may need extra food, or supplies of which I am unaware) it can't be the cost of formula at any price that causes the UK to have lower breastfeeding rates.

The reasons are likely to something else (lack of facilities or advice/help if a mother struggles with breastfeeding, or I've heard some people say that it is weird/disgusting Confused). Or maybe formula is less affordable/less available in other countries so there is more incentive to breastfeed?

Whatamuddleduck · 25/10/2018 09:16

Read the politics of breastfeeding and then tell me that promotion of formula doesn’t matter! It does and corporate greed has no place in infant feeding.
Report it!

BarbaraofSevillle · 25/10/2018 09:28

Like a pp said it’s not about women deciding to ff because of the price it’s about making formula incorrectly if you’ve been buying it at an offer price then not being able to afford it when the offer ends and it goes back up to normal price

That reasoning makes no sense at all. If you have the money, you'd just stock up when it was on offer, and if you didn't, you wouldn't risk trying something if it was a short term offer if you couldn't afford it at full price. Unless of course it became one of the many items that's always on offer somewhere and then you'd just buy it wherever it was on offer, like people do with toiletries, cleaning products and tinned goods.

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