I know it's illegal but is it worth reporting?

[Itscurtainsforyou]

Just seen a fb discussion about someone finding discounted "stage 1" baby formula at a supermarket. They reported it to the manager and told them it was against the law to discount baby formula. They said that the manager just returned the formula to the discount shelf.

There have been several comments about how this should be taken further and reported to various pro-breastfeeding groups/companies and the supermarket be boycotted.

I have no axe to grind re formula/breastfeeding, having done both. But my initial thought was that this response was a bit over the top - Aibu?

Being on a low calorie or low vitamin diet doesn't make women produce insufficient breastmilk.

If you're on a low income you can get vouchers which cover the cost of formula (or buy veg/cow's milk for breastfeeding mothers). I used to get them myself.

Worra, discounting is an advertising tool.

Or to say more clearly, the discounting is one part of an advertising and promotional activity.

Absent, are you sure you're not remembering all the follow on milk ads, they are still running. But I'm not sure when these restrictions were brought in.

Oh behave Karate

Discounting is literally knocking money off of a product now and then, that most people would buy anyway.

For example, I hate avocados. Therefore I never buy avocados.

You can knock as much money off of them as you like but I'm never going to buy them, because I hate them.

I love strawberries, so therefore I buy strawberries.

If Asda has knocked a quid off strawberries but Tesco hasn't, I'm more likely to nip into Asda to buy my strawberries....

That is what discounting products is all about.

You can advertise formula for babies over 6 months old in the UK. I don't know about Ireland.

I agree, it's petty to go after a shop yellow labelling formula - OTOH though if shops did put a hefty discount on near-dates formula, that could be dangerous to FF babies, because parents on a low income might be tempted to stock up on this offer, and not notice the use by date, or assume that it wasn't very important. One of the reasons for not allowing temporary discounts on infant formula is that it keeps the price stable which discourages stockpiling or customers coming to rely on a lower price and then being unable to budget for full price formula.

Utterly ridiculous! I simply cannot understand this mania for being so anti-formula. It's ludicrous and makes me mad! My son was FF by choice and he's absolutely fine. We used the Aptamil cartons and spent a fortune due to the fact that no promotions were allowed, and we were also unable to collect Boots Advantage Points, which seemed unfair. I just wish people would stop judging others and let them be. Fed is best, be it formula or breast milk.

I didn't find breastfeeding free. It made me so ravenously hungry, all the time, that my food bills rocketed. It would have been cheaper to FF in my case!

Hang on... are we talking about advertising or discounting here??

I was under the impression that the ban on discounting first stage formula was to try and stop people who were ff from just buying whichever brand/type of milk is cheaper/discounted - I.e. To stop a scenario where a baby might be on hungry baby milk one week & then anti colic milk the next etc depending which one was reduced... which is obviously not great for a young baby.

That was my interpretation of the explanation from baby milk action anyway...

I thought the end of aisle & points "promotional" thing was a different issue and was because it was perceived as a way of "getting around" that advertising ban but just all happen to fall under the same blanket regulations.

Either way - yes - some people take it WAAAY too far & it seems to have become almost a sport.

Companies do not discount high value, emotional products (avocados are promoted at supermarket level as they are low value and not really branded) without promoting their discount and backing that up with advertising. I've been saying all along that the discount is the least dangerous of the activities but they can't be permitted to do that because the rest tends to follow.

"Being on a low calorie or low vitamin diet doesn't make women produce insufficient breastmilk."

Really? I was under the impression that breast feeding burns up a fair few calories?

I thought you had to be eating properly to be able to breast feed. I'm pretty sure it can't be great for the mother to be breast feeding if she herself isn't well fed?

Glad to know that there are versatile vouchers out there to help cover costs for mothers with small babies whether they are breast feeding or using formula. Hope the money that funds these is ringfenced as essential.

Karate is there any chance you could stick to what the OP is discussing?

She's discussing a supermarket that has illegally discounted formula.

Not once has she said the formula company has advertised it

Oh - maybe I am thinking of follow on milk, thanks KarateKitten!

Breastfeeding burns an extra 500 calories. A few cheap custard creams will sort that,

Worra, I think you don't understand my point at all. I responded directly to the OP a few times. And said that the people up in arms are getting worked up about something that is not the real reason for the ban.

Bottom line is if a mother has chosen to formula feed her baby, she (imo) should be allowed the odd tub with a quid or two knocked off now and again, just like any other product in her weekly trolley of shopping.

If anyone thinks she shouldn't, then imo they really need to get out more.

What is OTT is discussing it on FB. Virtue signalling with the possibility of upsetting women who for whatever reason can't BF - they should have just got on and reported it.

This ^

I combination feed every child and I too would like a few quid off. I'm simply tried to explain why that doesn't happen now and why it probably wouldn't happen anyway to the people who have said the ban is rediculous. And also tried to explain why the ban is important. It's not about the discount.

I agree Janet

It's also OTT to be wringing your hands on Mumsnet.

The OP can either report or not - that's her choice and given it's on FB, someone will obviously have reported anyway so the whole thread is quite pointless.

If that's pointed at me, I'm not wringing my hands in any direction, just trying to explain. I'm a breast feeding, formula feeding, discount seeking mum who worked for one of the big manufacturers of baby products in (you guessed it) advertising and promotions for many years.

"Breastfeeding burns an extra 500 calories. A few cheap custard creams will sort that"

But we are living in times where plenty of parents are already choosing to eat one meal a day in order to be able to feed their kids an adequate diet.

You might be able to cobble together enough for the odd extra pack of custard creams, but what if your diet is already very lacking?

I just think families with very tight food budgets are always going to prioritize feeding the children. If there's never quite enough food to go round, it's going to be the parents who aren't getting enough. If there's formula there to feed the baby, at least the mother is keeping the nutritional value of whatever food she is eating for her own nutritional needs.

The vouchers are great though. We just need more schemes to make sure mother and baby are both fed enough, in whatever way.

Report it to Baby Milk Action
It is illegal to imcentivise formula feeding

Or just mind your own business.

Not RTFT so sorry.

I live in a place that has formula discounts and advertising with very few restrictions. I also work with pregnant teens. Formula is aggressively marketed to them with samples, coupon books, discounts and BOGO. They get some ‘just in case’ and at 1am the little bottles of formula seem easier. It does discourage BFing as it is absolutely meant to. They then suffer WORSE food poverty because they could have BF for free.

Of course the formula manufacturers do it for a reason. If you think their profits suffer with discounts? HA! It increases their profits.

BFing is better for society as a whole. We need to stop guilting specific mothers (because that’s bullshit) while encouraging BFing societally.

I wouldn't report it, and i haven't when i've seen it.
I agree with worra that if a person has decided to bf a bit of money of a tub or cartons if the date is coming to an end if not going to change a persons mind, but it may help a family struggling.

Breastfeeding burns an extra 500 calories. A few cheap custard creams will sort that,
If you're struggling you don't have money for luxuries like that.

I'm bewildered by any mother who choses to ff based on price.
I've never understood how formula feeding is lazy?
I've bf and ff all 3 of mine and I would NEVER remember to make bottles up till 11pm (I'm pretty sure your not allowed to make them in advance now? ) which was exhausting.

What's best for mom is best for baby I strongly stick by that.