To be outraged at this price increase?

[Pinkcat231]

I was reading an article the other day about baby formula prices and how families struggle to afford it then today I have noticed several shops have increased the price of all the Aptamil products.

I assume other brands will follow and it just seems outrageous with the current crisis and so many people getting less or no pay.

A lot of companies seem to be cashing in on the fact supplies are running low of certain items so AIBU to think Aptamil have jumped on that bandwagon or is this an innocent, albeit poorly timed, price increase in line with inflation?

Hipp organic had gone up 50p for a box of milk and 25p for a bottle of premade before the Coronavirus so it's much more likely to be because of Brexit.

"As for breastfeeding I don’t know one woman (of the 30+) who’ve had babies in recent years that haven’t been told to use formula by their midwives or HV due to weight gain issues so maybe that’s where the issue lies."

Maybe. I did read a report a few weeks ago that under lockdown newborns are actually doing better, they are regaining their birth weight sooner than in normal times. The theory was that new parents can take the time to be with their baby without worrying about other people.

Ignoring the breastfeeding brigade. I think you're right OP. There's many products that could have a price rise as they aren't essential items. Baby formula isn't one of them. DS is thriving on the cheapest formula on the market which (touch wood) hasn't had an increase yet.
Once someone formula feeds their baby it's too late to "vote with their breasts" they either couldn't breastfeed in the first place or their milk supply will be gone fairly quickly. Once you sign on to formula feeding that's you for a year. If the price is increased 2 months in well you're pretty much fucked.

It’s not cashing in

It’s a price increase to reflect fact their costs have increased significantly

You are not a charity and they are not a charity provider

No one's forced to buy Aptimal. There are many cheaper and yet still good quality supermarket own brands, and anyone with any sense or that is price sensitive would be buying those anyway.

I'd definitely be buying own brand at that price! I do have to say though - I'm definitely not one of the breastfeeding brigade because fed is best but with the desperately worrying shortages of formula milk only a few weeks ago and possible future lack of availability on top of the shocking price increase, I reckon right now it might be best for new mums to really consider breastfeeding if they can. Saves worry about actually being able to buy formula while the situation is so volatile and hopefully means there's enough available for babies who might really need it.

I'm with you @MrsTerryPratchett a free nutritious on tap supply that doesn't require bottles and the faff of sterilisation. Shame it's not more frequently used y those that can.

As for breastfeeding I don’t know one woman (of the 30+) who’ve had babies in recent years that haven’t been told to use formula by their midwives or HV due to weight gain issues so maybe that’s where the issue lies

That is absolutely shocking. I have a couple of friends who were advised to start combination feeding due to unfixed tongue tie issues. Others who were having supply or latch problems were given advice on how to fix that. Absolutely not the majority being advised to move to formula.

I'm with MrsTerry. Yes some women can't breastfeed and anyone can choose not to but it's so naive to think that if you choose to become dependent on Cow&Gate or Aptamil or whoever that they aren't going to try and make as much money out of you as possible.

Does anyone know who sets the baby formula price anyway? It has to be the same in every shop, doesn’t it?

No.

The laws state that there must be no promotion or discounting on first stage infant formula. No reduced to clear, 3 for 2 offers, £1 off, special offers, manager's specials.

But apart from that, shops can charge precisely what they like.

Who knows why the price has gone up, could be anything from shortages of labour to make it to increased costs to get it here if it's made overseas.

Its definetly not to do with the price of ingredidnts. There is already an 80% markup. Google it.

There is a perfectly good, basically free way to feed babies without using formula which is available to most families. Unlike many items. Admittedly people can't change horse mid race. But there's nothing to stop new mums voting with their breasts feet.

The tone of this is hugely judgemental, and you know it.

I noticed Tesco and Asda had removed the 2 for £18 for Aptimil stage 2, but the price of the product remains the same. Seems like lots of the deals have ended and prices increased on food across the board.

Agree the bf post is hugely judgemental

I've bf one and ff one - reckon they cost about the same overall, but with BF the money went on new bras, feeding tops, pump, and extra calories for me instead of to the formula company.

Mrsterrypratchett One of my main motivations for breastfeeding was sheer laziness.

The prospect of getting up in the middle of the night to juggle sterilsers and powders and water and whatever other bits of paraphernalia bottle feeding involves was hideous to me. On top of that I'm utterly disorganised so would have kept losing things, failing to buy enough formula forgetting to take bottles out with me and generally making a mess of it.

At least I couldn't leave my tits lying about in Costa or at the back of the cupboard

Do supermarkets do own brand formula? I've never seen it...(although my DC are tween/teen now)
Boots dont give (or didnt used to give) advantage points on first stage formula and I think you cant get supermarket loyalty points on it either. IIRC this changes when its formula marketed for 6 months +.
I bf one DC for 8 months and the other for about 3 months before combined feeding. It was easier (and I think cheaper) with bf the first Dc, but had PND with DC2 and found it more stressful.

Baby formula costs pence to produce per tub. The ingredients are cheap and brought on a global market wherever is cheapest. The money you pay for it is largely their advertising budget, not for the cost of the product. Op YANBU. But I wouldn’t expect anything else from a formula company. They truly are the lowest of the low. The have been using corona pandemic in all sorts of ways to extend their reach, including putting out information in developing countries that it’s not safe for mothers to breastfeed in the pandemic and giving put free samples. The charity Baby milk action is a good place to get more information on exactly what they get up to. Food poverty in the U.K. is such an issue, there was a report recently about the cost of formula for families in the U.K. and it’s was found to be a big issue, with families watering down formula and moving onto cows milk early.

I was gobsmacked when I found out how expensive formula was (had a client who couldn't breastfeed). I think it's outrageous, and I'm not at all surprised that companies are using this crisis as an excuse for profiteering. They're a bunch of unscrupulous bastards.

Back in the days when we had a welfare state that wasn't starved of funds, you could get something called "National Formula Milk" from the baby clinic. My mum didn't BF my brother, and I can picture the big blue and white tins as clearly as anything, even though it was over 50 years ago. It was either very cheap or free, and she used to get orange juice concentrate as well.

Now, people on low incomes are paying fortunes to feed their babies if they can't BF and it was really skinting the couple I supported, who were on benefits and in temp accommodation. They had to go to food banks for their own food, because of the cost of formula and having to use a launderette which cost £12 a load.

Should have known this would be hijacked.

Everyone knows ‘breast is best’. Superior and judgmental comments are not going to make someone who is already FF or who can’t BF or who doesn’t want to BF leap up and cry out, ‘I’VE SEEN THE LIGHT!’ It just gives the poster a chance to feel superior and ‘better’ than other mothers.

Give it a rest. It’s not what this thread is about.

PS OP YABU. I can understand why it must be a huge worry to some parents especially as some babies are really fussy about their formula but ultimately aptimal are a business and charge what people will pay.

I agree @StatisticallyChallenged DW breast fed one and formula fed one. With one of them she kept getting mastitis and it was agony so she switched to formula after a couple of months. The other baby was much easier to feed and had breast milk until she was just over one.

Once you’ve exclusively formula fed for a few weeks you can’t breast feed. You have to buy formula to feed your baby. This is exactly why there is a code about not promoting first stage formula. Unchecked, formula manufacturers will give huge discounts and free samples to new mothers to encourage them to use their product and when they run out breast feeding is no longer an option and they have no choice but to buy formula to feed their baby.

A lot of companies seem to be cashing in on the fact supplies are running low of certain items

This is literally how economics works. If supply is less than demand, prices go up. If demand is less than supply, prices go down. Prices don't change because of inflation, inflation changes because of prices.

Formula companies are not the place to look for ethical behaviour.

It’s not always the same price in every shop. Hipp was more expensive in Morrisons compared to other places. £10 instead of £9.50 and their premade was 5p more expensive too.

Was there a recent price increase?

My baby has been on formula for the last 11 months and the price has remained the exact same in every shop for that time. The last tin I bought was on Sunday and no increase then.