Reducing the price of first formula milk

[starsintheireyes]

Please can someone link me to to some info about this, I was 99% certain its illegal to discount first milk in shops yet my local store is selling sma gold for 20p

I'm not remotely convinced that cheaper formula would lead less people to breastfeed. As others have pointed out breastmilk is free.

thing is, if the formula companies did decide to drastically lower the price, I reckon there would be a call for them to stop making it so cheap / easily affordable.

I still cant find it in me to get offended by a corner shop selling off some near dated milk for 20p, the people buying it will do so anyway, its just they are getting it amazingly cheap.

Would it be OK for them to steal it then? Because that's also illegal and reduces the cost of FF-ing

But the point of the law is surely to prevent one formula company from having an unfair advantage over the other - not to encourage breastfeeding. By preventing price wars, you don't actually help the mothers who want to breastfeed and can't - they still have to buy formula.

Yes, it's the law and therefore illegal, as a lot of people are saying, but not sure about the point of the law in the first place if it's meant to protect breastfeeding. Do politicians think that you'll think twice about not breastfeeding if it costs more money to buy formula. That certainly wasn't the thought process in my head when I admitted to failure over breastfeeding.

I think it should be cheaper anyway , I hate the assuption that ff don't know the difference

If it was £2 a tin, can you imagine what crap (more than there is already) would go into it?

More companies are sourcing better ingredients and making their formula organic - that in itself is far more expensive and labour intensive to produce organic cows milk. I've just been reading the French Hipp site to see how they market their products and they discuss about the organic farming etc.

Loveisagirlnameddaisy - the law isn't there to prevent one formula company from having an unfair advantage over another.

The point of the law is to stop formula companies promoting first baby milks per se (at the inevitable detriment of breastfeeding rates).

More promotion of first baby milks leads to an increasing assumption it is good to formula feed (versus breastfeeding). Formula companies would put huge amounts of financial clout in promoting milks, which isn't in the interests of anyone, but the milk manufacturers. Inevitably, it will lead to an ever increasing acceptance of formula, to the detriment of breastfeeding rates (which are abysmally low anyway).

The law isn't there to put mums in a worse position financially and to put them out. It's about stopping the marketing or promotion of first milks in any way. Milk manufacturers are in it for the money and profits, they will use their power to sell as much as possible. The ethics of them marketing a product which whilst necessary for some, would sway public opinion in favour of formula even more so is why the law is in place.

Hope that makes sense? That's my understanding anyway.

loopy as an adult I know how the law works, as a parent I have better things to do.

Think maybe YOUR missing the point as everyone WAS discussing how formula should be cheaper. Also just because something is a law doesn't mean it's far reaching consequences don't deter from its intent. In this case a law created to stop competitive pricing has forced prices sky high and this is why it's a crap law.

Your comparisons to tax dodging and car seat belts were pointless and unhelpful.

There is a difference between promotion and fair pricing. Like everyone said cheap formula doesn't affect breast feeding rates as the cheapest of all is breast.

Loopy - still, I think the mark up on formula is incredibly high.

Promoting first baby milk (reducing the price of formula temporarily is a promotion) does affect breastfeeding rates. It enhances perceptions and viewpoints of formula and as a result, will harm breastfeeding rates. Same as advertising or promotion of any sort.

I don't think anyone feels a permanent reduction in the recommended selling point is a bad idea. I am all for formula being cheaper per se continuously.

But that is totally different to a 'price promotion'.

And the marketing and promotion budgets of formula will always be higher than breastmilk promotion (if they were given free reign to promote first milk anyhow they like).

That is why there are guidelines in place.

thanks mama

I think my ranting has scared everyone off

That or all watching Enders

true mama, that's what i should be doing really!

southeastgirl "In this case a law created to stop competitive pricing has forced prices sky high and this is why it's a crap law."

But 'your' interpretation of the law is incorrect - it is not to to stop competitive pricing; it's to stop all promotion and marketing of first forumla by formula comps.

Formula Milk will always be 'normalised' due to the fact that FF companies are allowed to advertise follow on milk etc.

Why not not allow formula milk companies to market their product in any way? Then those who choose to FF, or are in a position where it is the only option, can choose a brand/product in a shop, based on the product in front of them?

I ff, btw. When I stopped BF and switched, I knew the costs involved. It was not a motivator for me to stay bf-ing. It would be nice, every now and again, for me to be able to get a tin of my brand of choice f-milk at a bargain though.

Southeastgirl - please stop going on about competitive pricing and the law being to do with stopping that.

It's been explained that this is not the purpose of the law.

Laws to stop competitive pricing are not allowed anyway - that produces a 'cartel' which is illegal.

If formula companies wanted to, they could cut the costs of formula dramatically. They spend a lot of money on the 'free tat' Tiktok mentions, and there is a huge mark up. They don't, and indeed Aptimal actively price higher to imply better quality.

So much anger is directed at the ban on discounting (which, as others have explained, is in place for sound reasons) - why not more anger at the pricing policies themselves? I would be livid at paying for furry polar bears, free pens, etc when those things exist solely to avoid the ban on advertising.

"a law created to stop competitive pricing has forced prices sky high"

LOLOL - but it wasn't created to stop competitive pricing and there is nothing whatsoever stopping the formula companies reducing the price of their product permanently. Funnily enough, they haven't done it.

Yes I do think that the law is wrong tbh, there are people who are not able to bf for some reason who have to use formula anyway, and those who have taken the decision not to bf, and will use formula whatever price it is! I am mixed feeding, give formula at night, and the price of a can of Aptimil Hungry baby is nearly £11 that is awful considering for some that this is the only way to feed their baby so they have to pay this extortionate price.

Yawn!
The law preventing promotion and marketing regulates the prices, that is why my sentence was a "law to stop competitive pricing" as competitive pricing is a form of promotion and how promotion of one product over another is achieved. But feel free to pick apart my sentences to make yourself feel better.

And while your at it my name is Southseagirl not southeast girl, don't try patronising me when you can't even read!