This week saw the release of a report by the UK government outlining recommendations by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) (UK Government, 2025), regarding the marketing of infant and follow on formula in the UK.
The market study which gathered evidence from various sources including the Advertising Standards Authority, NHS and various nutrition and healthcare organisations, concluded that the current baby formula market is offering poor choice and pricing outcomes for parents.
I found the most important recommendation made was the call for increased clarity for parents on the nutritional and safety content of infant formula sold in the UK. All infant formula on the UK market has to meet strict compositional requirements by law, alongside core nutrients this includes the addition of long-chain fatty acids, nucleotides and prebiotics and means that all products fulfil the infants’ nutritional needs and therefore no particular product is superior.
This is especially important when looking at price differences between brands as shown below, this data shows average pricing from August – November 2024, prices can and do fluctuate but the trends remain consistent and show an almost 50% price difference between the most and least expensive products, the CMA reported a price analysis showing that consumers could save £300 over their child’s first year just by switching from a mid-priced to low-priced product.
These are very large savings especially when taking into consideration that those from low-income backgrounds are more likely to formula feed so are disproportionately impacted by infant formula pricing.
The CMA reported that it was common for parents to be influenced by marketing techniques employed by the various formula brands, the higher the price of the product the bigger the marketing budget and the more convincing the product becomes, parents actively choosing a more expensive product commonly think that this equates to higher quality. NHS advice clearly states, “It does not matter which brand you choose, they’ll all meet your baby’s nutritional needs, regardless of price” (UK Government, 2025).
Hopefully the UK Government will take on board the CMA’s recommendations and make the necessary changes, in the meantime please share this information with anyone who might find it helpful.
References
UK Government. (2025). Infant formula: CMA outlines clear path forward to help parents save hundreds of pounds a year. Retrieved from www.gov.uk/government/news/infant-formula-cma-outlines-clear-path-forward-to-help-parents-save-hundreds-of-pounds-a-year
MLT Nutrition 