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The Sun

Baby formula prices still ‘shamefully' high despite plans for new rules to save parents £300 a year

THOUSANDS of parents buying baby formula are still getting ripped off despite a watchdog crackdown. New research has found bigger brands are putting profits over shopper affordability when it comes to the essential product. It comes with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) due to respond to several recommendations put forward by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on infant milk. The fresh report from the First Steps Nutrition Trust has revealed the cost of infant formula remains higher now than before the cost of living crisis. The trust found the price of baby milk fell only 50p on average last year, to £11.99, compared to £11.10 in 2021 - four years ago. Meanwhile, it said the most expensive baby milk on the market is priced at a staggering £18. The trust said new own-brand infant formulas from Aldi and Lidl have been hitting the market with lower price points. However, prices of eight of the 12 available infant formulas in shops were still "high and static" between April 2024 and May 2025. Only the remaining four out of 12 available to customers as of this month are less than £8.50. The report said that the infant formula market overall remains "dominated by expensive products". Dr Vicky Sibson, director of the First Steps Nutrition Trust, said: "You can see that despite being exposed for maintaining 50-75% profit margins, the big brands are maintaining high prices, which we think is shameful." It comes after the CMA, the regulator, proposed in February several measures which, if confirmed, could save parents buying baby milk around £300 a year. Freebies for parents worth £2,900 The government is yet to publish a response to the recommendations. Among the measures suggested by the CMA is that the NHS introduce its own non-brand baby formula in a bid to drive prices down. It has also proposed existing baby milk products be provided in non-branded containers in hospitals to reduce the impact branded products can have while parents are in a "vulnerable" setting. The CMA has also put forward that packaging should clearly display nutritional information, while any claims that cannot easily be checked by parents are banned. It said this would make it easier for parents to pick between brands. The CMA has made no recommendation on a price cap for baby milk, despite higher prices faced by shoppers in recent years. For shoppers facing higher prices already, you can cut costs by opting for supermarkets' own-brand versions. The comparison website lets you compare prices on thousands of products including baby milk to find the best prices. The Sun asked the Department for Health and Social Care to comment. What help is there for parents? If you receive certain benefits and are pregnant or have at least one child under the age of four then you can apply for Healthy Start scheme. You will get: £4.25 each week of your pregnancy £8.50 each week for children from birth to one year old £4.25 each week for children between one and four years old The money will stop after your child's fourth birthday or if you no longer receive benefits. If you are eligible you will be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. The money will be added onto this card every four weeks. You can use the card to buy: Plain liquid cow's milk Fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables Fresh, dried and tinned pulses Infant formula milk based on cow's milk To be eligible for the scheme you must be receiving one of the following benefits: Income support Income-based jobseeker's allowance Child tax credit if your family's annual income is £16,190 or less, and not getting working tax credit Universal credit if your family's monthly earned income is £408 or less from employment Pension credit BABY BANK LOCATIONS BELOW is a selection of baby banks by region. See the web address at the end of the page to find contact details for all the country's baby banks North West Baby Basics Bolton & Bury, West Lancashire Baby Basics Carlisle, Cumbria Baby Basics South Lakes, Cumbria Baby Basics, Cleator Moor, West Cumbria Trafford Little Bundles, Lancashire TippyToes BabyBank Preston, Lancashire Salford Baby Bank, Lancashire Snowdrop Doula CIC Burnley, Lancashire Cascade Baby Bundles, Audenshaw, Cheshire The Baby Room at Spinners, Leigh, Lancashire The Healthy Gems Baby Bank, Oldham, Lancashire NCT Mid Cheshire NCT Preston Baby Bundles, Lancashire KidsBank Chester, Cheshire Motherwell Pass It On Baby Bank, Winsford, Cheshire Hyndburn Baby Bank, Accrington, Lancashire North East Growbaby Newcastle, Tyne & Wear Love, Amelia, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear Birth Bath and Beyond, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Clothe and Feed South Shields, Tyne & Wear Clothe and Feed Sunderland, Tyne & Wear Rosie's Corner, Hexham, Northumberland Stockton Baby Bank, County Durham Darlington Baby Bank, County Durham Baby Basics Darlington Growbaby Hull, Yorkshire Little Acorns Baby Bank Durham, County Durham Hartlepool Baby Bank, County Durham North Growbaby Teeside, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees Baby Basics Leeds, West Yorkshire Baby Basics Doncaster, South Yorkshire Leeds Baby Bank, West Yorkshire Baby Basics Sheffield, South Yorkshire Birth Bath and Beyond Scarborough, North Yorkshire Bradford Baby Bank, West Yorkshire POPI Baby Bank Keighley, West Yorkshire Rainbow Baby Bank Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire Stepping Stones Baby Bank Wakefield, West Yorkshire Calderdale Lighthouse, West Yorkshire Tiny Hands Baby Bank Pontefract, West Yorkshire Growbaby York, North Yorkshire South West Ashley's Birthday Bank, Christchurch, Dorset Baby Bank Network Bristol Baby Basics Gloucester, Gloucestershire Baby Basics Cornwall Baby Basics Plymouth Brighter Bristol Storehouse, Bristol Baby Basics South, Ilminster, Somerset Growbaby Tiverton, Devon Children's Storehouse Plymouth, 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Midlands Brierley Hill Baby Bank, Dudley, West Mids Baskets of Joy Leicester Growbaby Leicester Alice Charity, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire Growbaby Northampton The Arches, Nottingham High Peak Baby Bank, Buxton, Derbyshire Growbaby, Nuneaton, Warwickshire Growbaby Bedworth, Warwickshire Bicester Baby Bank, Oxfordshire Elayos Baby Bank Birmingham Baby Basics Wolverhampton Growbaby Birmingham St Michaels Church Baby Aid Birmingham Baby Basics Warwick Baby Godiva Coventry Growkids Coventry Baby Basics Chesterfield, Derbyshire Baby Basics Long Eaton, Notts Baby Basics Leicester Baby Basics Northampton Baby Basics Hinckley, Leicestershire Growbaby Birmingham Vineyard City Centre Site Tots in Need Walsall, West Mids Spark Baby & Children's Bank Staffordshire Staffordshire Baby Bank, Stafford, Staffs Telford and Wrekin Baby and Toddler bank, Shropshire Clothe and Feed Wallsend, Herefordshire Little Stars Shropshire Karis Baby Bank Central Birmingham NCT Malvern Hills Baby Bundles, Worcs Little Cherub's Baby Bank High Peak, Derbyshire Growbaby Worcester Wales Baby Basics Dryffryn Clwyd Denbigh Baby Basics Vale of Glamorgan Baby Basics Newtown Baby Basics Swansea Baby Basics Port Talbot Baby Basics Wrexham Cwtch Baby Bank Cardiff Baby Basics Penrhiwceiber Cariad a Cwtch Baby Bank Llandrindod Wells Growbaby Cardiff Pembrokeshire Baby Bank Splice Baby Bank Bridgend Bundles Baby Clothing and Birth Support, Newport Bethel Baby Bank Port Talbot NCT Cardiff Baby Bundles Ely Baby Bank Feed Newport Baby Bank Scotland Bairn Necessities, Glasgow AberNecessities, Aberdeen Growbaby Fife Baby Bank Scotland, Hamilton Bairnecessities Aberdeenshire Bear Necessities Airdrie Togs for Tots Dundee Glasgow Baby Food Bank GRA Baby Bank Aberdeenshire Nelly Boxes East Renfrewshire Baby Bank No 1 Glasgow Baby & Family Support Service Tiny Treasures Baby Bank Oban Button and Bows Baby Bank Perth Cumbernauld & Kilsyth Care Misty Glen Baby Bank Fort William Dingwall Primary Baby Bank Moray Baby Bank Monklands Baby and Family Clothing Aid East Abi's Footprints, Sudbury, Suffolk Baby Bank Norfolk Baby Basics Lowestoft, Suffolk Baby Basics West Norfolk West Marsh Baby Bank, Lincolnshire Suffolk Baby Bank, Bury Saint Edmunds Baby's Basket, Lincoln, Lincolnshire Growbaby Thetford, Norfolk Growkids Norwich, Norfolk Fenland Family and Baby Bank, Cambridgeshire GrowKids Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Little Family Baby Bank, Sutton On Sea, Lincolnshire Little Treasures Baby Bank, Horncastle, East Lincolnshire Little Bundles, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Northern Ireland Baby Basics Antrim & Newtonabbey Baby Basics Ballymena Baby Basics Belfast Bump2Baby NI (Mid-Ulster Baby Bank) Baby Basics Banbridge Baby Basics Causeway Baby Basics Magherafelt Baby Basics Mullavilly Growbaby Enniskillen Carrickfergus Baby Bank