Baby formula could be placed in standardised packaging in hospitals, the UK competition watchdog has suggested, while parents should be allowed to use gift vouchers and loyalty card points to buy formula milk, as part of efforts to combat soaring prices and lack of choice in the market.
Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the CMA, said many parents who “need, or choose, to formula feed, pick a brand at a vulnerable moment, based on incomplete information, often believing that higher prices must mean better quality”.
Labelling of infant formula in hospitals or other healthcare locations should be standardised, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) suggested, with formula put into non-branded containers to tackle the power of marketing, or the NHS could offer its own variety.
The CMA said such a move would “involve significant risks”, and could push up the prices of cheaper formula products to reach the ceiling, leading to some parents “missing out on cheaper options on the market”.
The watchdog said that parents often choose a brand of formula for their baby at a time when they are vulnerable, often in hospital immediately after birth, when they do not have “clear, accurate and impartial information needed to make informed decisions”.
