Corinthia Ward, Birmingham north Socialist Party
Some families are struggling with the cost of living so much that they have to steal baby formula. Average prices for formula have risen over 24% over the past two years.
The cheapest brand, Aldi’s Mamia, has risen by 45%! The best-selling UK formula, Aptamil, now has a price tag of £14.50 a box.
Families are being forced by poverty to find any way they can to access milk for their babies. Some are watering down formula to make it go further, which sadly means the babies are not receiving all the nutrition they need.
Others are turning to Facebook marketplace buying opened boxes, causing alarm, as these boxes will be unsafe and unsanitary, and pose huge health risks. Using condensed milk, oats and alternative foods are other measures families are being pushed to take.
Baby formula companies are defending the price increases, blaming rising production costs. But these price rises expose how profit-driven these multinational companies are.
Just three companies control more than 40% of the global baby formula market, and the market itself is worth £55 billion. These companies spend £12 billion a year on advertising – that’s £86 spent on each newborn worldwide.
Sunak’s woeful response
In response to the desperation of families, all Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak did was remind them about the Healthy Start vouchers. But at £8.50 per voucher, these don’t go far enough to cover the cost of one tub. And this is taxpayers’ money subsidising billion-dollar companies.
Just like the parasitic industry of big pharma, these formula companies exploit a basic necessity for newborn babies. Theft of formula milk is not a new phenomenon. It is just becoming more common, as more people fall below the poverty line. For years shops have put security tags on baby formula boxes.
Baby formula should be free for all families who need it. And the pockets of these bloated companies should not be lined further.
The production and distribution of baby formula should be nationalised, under workers’ democratic control, and fall under the wing of a socialist NHS.
Adverts, PR and marketing should no longer be used to pressure parents into formula feeding. Fully funded and fully staffed breastfeeding departments are also needed to help the 80% of mothers who start breastfeeding, but due to complications, social pressures and lack of support, drop to just 1% when the baby is six months old.
The preferred feeding method between a parent and their baby is a highly personal choice, and no parent should be shamed for their decision.
In capitalist Britain, still the sixth-richest country in the world, babies are at risk of being malnourished. There is enough wealth in society that each baby need not go without food. But it will only be through the socialist transformation of our society that a baby’s basic need for milk will no longer be exploited for profit.
