‘Desperate’ parents taking baby formula risks

The high cost of baby formula is forcing many parents to “resort to extreme and unsafe measures to feed their babies”, an MP has told the Commons.

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, himself a new parent, is calling for tighter pricing regulations on the sale of baby formula, amid concerns about rising costs and out-of-control marketing to new parents.

A recent report by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed the cost of some brands had risen by more than a third in just two years.

Mr Webb, who has a nine-month-old son, raised the issue in his first adjournment debate as an MP.

He told the Commons: “As the father of a nine-month-old baby, I know how emotionally charged and difficult it is to navigate infant feeding.

“I have seen that with my own son, who would not take to breastfeeding, so we had to resort to infant formula,” he said.

He said in his constituency alone, where child poverty has increased by 30% in the past year, and with the average tub of formula costing a “staggering £14.50” many parents were “resorting to extreme and unsafe measures to feed their babies.”

“A black market has sprung up for infant milk, and it is one of the most commonly shoplifted items,” he said.

The MP also said he regularly read “heart-breaking posts” on local forums from parents in “utter despair” begging for baby food donations to tide them over until the next pay day.

He said that by seeking cheap or free milk online, parents risked feeding their babies a product “potentially laden with bacteria”.

The MP also said hospital admissions for under-ones with gastrointestinal problems are almost treble the national average in Blackpool

“Dehydration – a common complication of gastroenteritis – is a particularly serious risk, and it is exacerbated by parents’ inability to access or properly prepare formula,” he said.

As a volunteer for Blackpool food bank for more than seven years, he said he had witnessed first-hand how urgent progress is needed.

In a call to arms, he added: “I invite ministers to consider the voices of parents in Blackpool, who are at the sharp end of this price crisis.”

The CMA’s recommendations include the government issuing NHS-branded baby milk and removing branding from baby milk in hospitals.

Stephen Kinnnock, Minister for Care, thanked Mr Webb for raising the issue.

He said: “I want to assure him that we are committed to addressing the concerns raised by the CMA so that the infant formula market delivers the better outcomes that parents deserve.”