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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Is it illegal for shops to reduce the price of formula milk?

87 replies

theSuburbanDryad · 21/10/2008 08:27

Went to buy petrol the other day and on the counter were some cartons of SMA Gold reduced to 50p each.

I didn't think it was legal to reduce formula milk as it's offering incentives to buy formula which is against the marketing codes?

OP posts:

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 10:52

abbie, it's about ensuring that
-ff mothers get to choose a milk knowing exactly what goes into it and what each ingredient does. They pay a reasonable price for the 'best' milk
-bf mothers don't have their choice to bf undermined, and hcps actually see it as important that bf is initiated, established and problems are worked through

ilovemydog · 21/10/2008 10:55

Not sure that it's a law, but rather an agreed good practice based on WHO/Dept of Health guidlines to B/f for the first 6 months...

Anything that promotes formula as easier to access, is in direct conflict of this.

cmotdibbler · 21/10/2008 10:56

Price promotions are also a bad idea as they are controlled by the vendor - imagine if a vendor did an offer reducing formula tins to 50p for a while. Mums on low incomes would choose that brand obv - but then the vendor would be free to bump it back upto 8 quid a tin or whatever, leaving them financially struggling. This has occured in the past in other countries and caused huge problems (esp as when one brand discounts, the others do, so they all become cheap at the same time)

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 11:00

No it is the law - I thought it wasn't but was corrected.
cmot, you're right, and what happened recently with the nurture stuff makes it clear that formula companies (like any company I suppose) will push their prices up as far as they can go given any opportunity to do so.

abbierhodes · 21/10/2008 11:02

Mumofmonsters, I object to that. I haven't made a single comment berating anyone's way of feeding, and I never would.
I agree with Skramble's point that a few pence off formula milk is not going to affect someone's decision...BFing will, of course, always be cheaper...I'm sure that's not why most of you do it? It is insulting to suggest that as mothers we are simply motivated by cost.
SMB, why then, is it OK for my choice, as a FFer to be undermined?

FAQ · 21/10/2008 11:04

but it's not being underminded - if the price of formula remains at the same (stupidly high imo ) price then no-one is suddenly going to find themselves in a position of having to swap formula (possibly to one that their DC doesn't get on with/won't drink) when the promotion ends and it becomes more expensive that some of the other brands.

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 11:05

This is an issue of public health and of a baby's ONLY food for 6 months. It's more important than quick wins by vendors to make a fast buck

fabsmum · 21/10/2008 11:05

"do we think woman are so stupid as to make a decision about feeding because there is 50p off a tin of milk. "

Not about stupidity - women simply don't have the information they need. I've read posts on this board from women who, on being asked in hospital for the first time what milk they wanted to use have said 'SMA' because all they could think of was the ducks on the tin... or Aptamil because they vaguely remember talking to someone whose midwife had told them that it was 'closest to breastmilk'. All I know is this - most women don't choose their formula based on scientific and medical research comparing the different brands. They choose on anecdotal evidence, or on the strength of brand profile after having been exposed to very manipulative and widescale advertising on TV, on the internet and through mother and baby magazines....

If that isn't a good reason to ban advertising and marketing of formula then I don't know what is. Baby's health is too important to be played with in this way by large companies whose only concern is making a profit.

thegreatescape · 21/10/2008 11:05

i am on drugs so ff ds so they didn't pass to him, so no choice to bf.
I still get my tits out though just not to bf
As skramble says, we all know about the advantages of bf but Formula costs a fortune and yes I would take advantage of an offer.

cmon, do you also take pictures of people littering, dog turds and cycling on the pavement?

ilovemydog · 21/10/2008 11:07

what law?

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 11:09

"Formula costs a fortune and yes I would take advantage of an offer."
Exactly! And then when the offer ends (and the prices rise slightly higher than before to compensate for the offer) you'd be a lot worse off.
How is that fair to ff mothers? For almost anything else you have the choice to do without. For infant milk that's just not an option

thegreatescape · 21/10/2008 11:10

should probably have actually said I am on medication and would take advantage of an offer of my baby's regular formula rather than choose brands on the basis of that.

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 11:12

lol!
We knew what you meant

Tortington · 21/10/2008 11:13

yeah i really think some one who had chosen to bf in hospital then came and saw reduced formula would change their minds

or maybe someone used C&G in hospital and saw sma at 50p and changed their formula

cos babies ....they just dont mind you fucking about with their feed one bit do they?

cmotdibbler · 21/10/2008 11:14

this is the law covering formula in the UK.

And if I saw people who should know better breaking the law, yes, I would report them.

thegreatescape · 21/10/2008 11:16

Thought the 'drugs' bit sounded sinister/illegal so should clarify!
As for the offers, if a shop has an 'offer' on nappies, formula, so on, I would buy my regular product from whoever is cheapest. I choose the product first, then choose where to buy it from. It certainly wouldn't influence my decision in which brand to use and I don't think it undermines bf.

thegreatescape · 21/10/2008 11:18

In that case, cmot, i wished you lived in my area as it could do with the 'zero tolerance' approach to crime!

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 11:19

But are you representative of everyone? Might other people not make decisions in other ways?

welliemum · 21/10/2008 11:21

Some people do choose their formula brand on the basis of price. Not because they don't care what they get, but because, realistically, they have no other choice.

Actually, it's not a bad way to choose a formula brand because there's no proof whatsoever that more expensive brands are better than cheaper ones. It's all image and you pay for the image.

NotDoingTheHousework · 21/10/2008 11:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 11:22

Follow on milk can be reduced, the law only covers infant milk

abbierhodes · 21/10/2008 11:29

OK, I take the point about different formulas being chosen for the wrong reasons...I hadn't looked at it that way.
So how do most of you choose formula milk? I'd truly be interested to know. I used SMA gold with my first because round here it seems the most common. With DS2 he seemed to have trouble settling on it, so I switched to Cow and Gate, on the advice of a friend who said it made her baby less 'colicky'. Hardly scientific, but it worked for us!
If there is a good, unbiased way of choosing formula milk I would love to hear of it!

thegreatescape · 21/10/2008 11:30

Sharp molars, if you are asking me if i am representative of everyone - i'm not claiming to be and intelligent as i am i'm sure others make different decisions to me for different reasons.

SharpMolarBear · 21/10/2008 11:35

Sorry, it wasn't really a question for you, just pointing out that because an intelligent person makes a decision about formula based on certain factors we can't assume that everyone would do the same.
abbie- good question. Ideally there should be unbiased info about each milk, ingredients, effectiveness in certain areas etc but that infromation is not available and it's in the companies' interests to keep it that way because they then control the information that's out there, and can make claims such as "Closest to breastmilk", "Full of essential vitamins"...

stretchmarkSCREAM · 21/10/2008 11:36

This again!!

Yes, some people really don't know any better! They really don't!! Just take a look at the bounty boards on weaning! That shows that there are some people who just don't know enough about feeding at all, and that's a big problem.

So for the sake of that few babies, they shouldn't be able to promote formula. After all, they don't give two figs about your children, just profit, otherwise they would label their ingredients properly and would all have 'immunofortis'

And I'm not saying that any of you are stupid, or ignorant, but MN is not representative of the population! Honestly, take a look at some of the threads on certain other sites and you will see what I mean!!

The uk needs to properly train it's midwives and hv on bf support and ff support! Someone on here said that hv only train for 1 day on bf, yet they are your primary carer for those first few weeks with your baby! Wonder how much training they get on bottle feeding?? Bet it's less.

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