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

[theSuburbanDryad]

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?

well i would therefore suggest that the law needs to be tightened if companies - ANY company can put 'vague' details of what ingredients there are in stuff

Good to see the same old insults being farmed out by the perceived persecuted majority. (Yes, I did say majority....)

I'd like to echo welliemum's points, and agree with some of what custy has said wrt to changing things.

It all starts with the insipid marketing antenatally when Bounty - who have the monopoly on maternity unit advertising - offer promotions and "advice" when they hand out their packs. Families arent seeing other family members b/feeding. Experience and confidence is hard to disseminate from family if your parents were one of the many who had their milk dried up by injection without discussion by the mw's in the 50's, 60's and even the 70's. Children's toys adn books are geared purely towards bottle feeding.

I agree custy.

Have been discussing this with my local MP to that effect.

it's disgraceful that companies can get away with spurious claims about ingredients etc, and label their food in conflict with Government guidelines.

What I meant was women choosing to ff doesn't undermine bf, it's formula companies that do that.
But I was wrong anyway, as it's all part of the normalising

Well I have to say in my experience both methods of feeding can be persecuted!

I BF DS1 very happily and with no problems, very little formula ever passed his lips. I was asked to leave a cafe and it was sometimes difficult in front of some family members.

I again started to BF DS2 but with horrendous problems, and in fact I ended up cup feeding him as he couldn't even suck from a bottle. It was truly a terrible time in my life. Eventually we saw numerous doctors and dieticians and he was prescribed high calorie infant milk. When I collected this from the chemist one day I got a real tirade of information from this one woman about the negatives of FF.

If/ when I have another baby I will again BF and hopefully will not have the same problems, but I will also have a thicker skin and not take others opinions of my parenting so seriously.

As for discounting formula, I could never get uptight about it but I guess it shouldn't happen, the law is there for a reason.

I started this thread just hoping someone could point me in the direction of Trading Standards if the petrol station were breaking the law!

I go to work and come back, and here you all are!!

Just to clarify - the milk was cartons of SMA Gold (first milk) at 50p each. I wasn't having a go at anyone who FF's, or who FF'd their baby or babies. I wasn't having a go at anyone, except the petrol station, really. Not even them either, really. It was probably done in ignorance rather than malicious IYSWIM!

@UD!

Sorry, yes I can see thats all you were asking and err.. I don't know. Sorry.

They are breaking the law. CMO Tibbler quoted the legislation

For reporting, the Baby Feeding Law Group have all the links on their website

Abbie - DD is nearly 5.5 mths. I am mix feeding but was very unsure at first whether I would continue BF when I came out of hospital. I sent mil out to get formula just in case and asked her to get SMA as that was the only one I had heard of.

After a few wks of deciding I was going to continue bf but I wanted a break and wanted to introduce some formula (tried expressing and it just was not happening) my friend told me that Aptimal was closest to breast milk (see what rubbish gets around through word of mouth) so we tried that for a while but dd would hardly take any.

we then went on to Hipp Organic (liked the sound of organic and it was the cheapest!) and that is what she likes.

the abm has a credit card size laminated reproduction of the legislation banning the promotion of infant formula. i carry it in my wallet so i can use it if any store managers disbelieve what i tell them.

get one for you and your mates from their website.

Ooooh foxy I have just ordered one of those!

Fantastic idea.