To be shocked at the price of formula milk?

[Souredstones]

It's been 9 years since I was last pregnant and this time round I'm not going to attempt breast feeding because for my previous pregnancies I produced no milk and wasn't able to feed them. So I'm not stressing out I'm going straight in for the formula. I have medical reasons for doing so.

I get that they've put the price up to deter formula feeding. I know why. I agree breast is best. But from what I saw today it's now a sneeze under £10 a tin.

I'm lucky we can afford it, but what if you're on the threshold of not receiving help and find yourself, as I did, unable to bf even with the full intentions of bfing and being unable to afford this price.

Is there a reason it's doubled in price in the last decade? Have production techniques changed that much?

"
Sure. But you can't then bitch and moan about the price if you're bottle-feeding because you want to. Well, you can - people can bitch and moan about whatever they want. Doesn't mean it's justified though."

I breastfed both my children for roughly two years (first six months exclusive). (ds 33 months and dd 22 months) I have only ever bought about two tubs of formula in my life.

You know what I REALISE that I am lucky to have been able to breastfed my children for as long as I wanted to. Not every woman has the support of family and good health professionals that I had.

It is possible to have empathy for those who make different parenting choices. I have no axe to grind against mothers who don't fancy breastfeeding. I have nothing to gain from over priced formula.

The baby formula companies are criminal in their behaviour in much of the world. However mothers who either have to (or SHOCK HORROR CHOOSE to) use formula are not criminal.

BOTTLEFEEDING DOES NOT MAKE SOMEONE A BAD MOTHER!!!!

Never said it did. No need to shout.

I just can't get worked up about it. What happens in developing countries re formula is atrocious and should be campaigned against and I am glad there are people who are doing it. What happens here ie charging people money to buy a product while subsidising that purchase for the poorest and with everyone on less than £50k given £20/£13 a week per child from the govt ... isn't quite the same issue.

[shrug] Companies making money out of a discretionary purchase just isn't a big deal.

To those advocating putting formula on prescription would that be on the parent or the child prescription - bearing in mind current prescription charges

follow on milk is a fraction of the price of first stage formula. Yet follow on milk is almost the same and there is less demand for it.

I would like bottlefeeding mums to get their formula as cheaply as possible so that they have money to buy stuff like books or toys for their babies.

Companies making money out of a discretionary purchase just isn't a big deal.

Come on, are you really that ignorant. Even if you feel that bottlefeeding is optional there are many women who feel forced into bottlefeeding by their cirucumstances. The babies get no say in how they are fed and surely would benefit from their family being able to afford a few luxuries.

Unfair cartels are an issue in lots of areas of life. Price fixing and formula should be investiaged.

Ah good point. Told you it's been a while since I last did this!

Yes, I really am that ignorant. Poor old me.

I still can't get my head round the idea that formulae is a discretionary purchase. It is not. I really wanted to breastfeed my 1st child. But following a crash sectionwith ga both myself and dd were wiped out. I tried and tried with virtually no support. I was than bullied by a midwife to give dd formulae as she was apparantly jaundiced although notest was done and I was apparently starving her. No one suggested that I perservere with feeding ie mixed feeding.. At that time nine years ago formulae was £5.88 and it was quite affordable.
2 years later I sucessfully breastfed dd2.
Now have my 3rd and had to do formulae top ups at the start. No way was it discretionary. Dd was back in hospital on a drip as she was so dehydrated. The good news though id thst dispite this terrible startt breastffeding is now fully established. So op don't give up hope of breastfeeding. It could work.

really the problem is that tacit collusion isn't illegal in itself (unless you believe the companies have been explicitly communicating with each other to fix prices).

I agree that competition seems limited though. I think more needs to be done to promote the information that price does not necessarily equal quality. I don't believe there is a market for generic formula in the UK as parents want to feel like they are doing the best for their children. The commonly held belief that Aptamil is "better" than C&G shows this.
I think the govt needs to realise that the current situation is that most parents ff (at least past the first few weeks) and give better information to counteract the misinformation spread/implied by formula companies.

I think what makes this politically a difficult issue is that any regulation of formula (companies) is seen as "judging" ff parents. See the comments on banning bogof deals/points/promotion which actually makes the market more competitive but is seen as punishing ff parents.

I think that we need more formula companies. Prehaps Tesco, Sainsbury et al need to be encouraged to produce their own baby milk.

Big formula companies have been accused of price fixing in China.

www.euronews.com/business-newswires/2021748-danone-biostime-cut-china-infant-milk-prices-amid-probe/

Its perfectly possible that they price fix in the rest of the world.

Breastfeeding is really a red herring. This is an issue for the Office of Fair trading.

nappies are pricey too. As are cots and prams. Deal with it, kids cost money, and we choose to have them.

If your breasts do not produce milk or enough of it then a doctor will prescribe your baby formula. This is obviously only done when a doctor is absolutely satisfied that you are physically incapable of supporting a baby (or you are taking essential medication incompatible with safe feeding). You should go to your GP after your baby is born and seek prescribed formula. Don't worry, your baby will not starve.

MiaowTheCat I couldn't give a fuck about formula companies (or breast pump manufacturers) making a profit, that is oversimplifying it. I was talking about supra normal profits they receive from oligopoly, because they promote their products in a way which prevents new entrants from entering the market because brand is so important. Like with every other product for sale it would be better for society as a whole (producer and consumer surplus combined) if the market was more competitive.

The market for breastpads is actually reasonably competitive as far as I recall. Consumers understand it is a reasonably homogeneous product and competition is mainly on price rather than spurious characteristics.

Should all lactation consultants work for free then?

I have 9 month old twins who were ebf to 6 months - I have moved them over to formula for most feeds now as it was becoming increasingly difficult to feed them when out and about. A tub lasts us about 6 days - I dread to think how much it it would have cost to formula feed in the early months when they were feeding around the clock.
I have a friend who has triplets and the milk costs are huge!

How do the formula companies prevent new entrants from entering the market? Genuine question. Is it really impossible for someone else to start making formula and selling it for less than C&G etc do? How do they ensure that "brand is so important"? Seems rather nebulous to me.

It's right that formula is high priced. In my opinion, Women should always do their best to breast feed than choose an inferior choice such as powdered milk, a lot of the time it's abouterseverance.

*about perseverance.

Oh come on now, that's just nonsense. Or are you trying (unsuccessfully and without any semblance of grace, accuracy or humour) to pillory what you perceive to be other posters' opinions?

Wallison - the barrier is that it's not easy to produce and sell something like formula. The ingredients are not the main problem, it's the research & development, manufacturing and quality control, then the ability to build a brand name that mothers trust, in an environment where you're not allowed to advertise. All of these require a lot of up front investment, and the big players are so multinational that you simply couldn't beat them on input costs unless you were also operating on a massive scale (hard to do at the start) or cutting corners (not recommended in the production of any product, but especially baby food!).

The formula companies are not actually the main ones making the brand so important, it's more about the consumers - would you trust a 'no name' brand to provide the main source of nutrition for your newborn? Especially after the scandals overseas? Naturally, most parents choose brands that they feel safer with - and this is the key barrier to entry.

Wallinson By spending massive amounts on promoting the "quality" of their brand. By insinuating that by using their brand parents are giving their children the best start. If it wasn't so powerful nobody would buy aptamil over c&g. Do you think anyone would really want to buy "tesco value formula".
The big brands have years of brand recognition behind them and it's a product where consumers are very risk averse.