Baby bank network Little Village welcomes investigation into the baby formula market

Little Village is pleased that the Competition Watchdog will be looking into the baby formula market. The baby bank network hopes formula will become more affordable and also calls for an improvement in the Healthy Start scheme.  

CEO Sophie Livingstone said:  

“We welcome the investigation into the baby formula market. Companies shouldn’t be making vast profits from essential items such as baby formula when there are so many families living in poverty.  These families are already making impossible choices and to have to pay over the odds to feed your baby is completely unfair and will have a long term negative impact. 

“Every day at Little Village we hear about the terrible choices parents and carers are having to make like watering down formula to make it stretch further, nappy rationing and kids wearing shoes that are too small for them.  As with increases in energy, housing, clothing and food, the price of formula has created a perfect storm which is unacceptable for them to have to deal with.  

“Not everyone can breast feed. We would like formula to become more affordable as well as an improvement to the Healthy Start scheme which at the moment currently doesn’t cover the cost of even the cheapest infant formula. 

“The huge increase in demand for our help is a clear indicator of the increased pressure families are under – by August of this year, we’d helped 50% more families than the same time last year.”