46% baby formula price hike has some B.C. parents struggling

A B.C. organization is sounding the alarm about the rising cost of baby formula and how parents and guardians are struggling to afford it.

The non-profit BabyGoRound said prices have increased 46 per cent in the past two years, leaving parents who have to rely on pre-mixed formula facing a staggering $1,300-a-month price tag.

Meghan Neufeld, executive director of BabyGoRound, a charity that provides essential baby items for parents and caregivers in Greater Vancouver, said thousands of families struggle to care for their babies every day without the essential gear they need.

One of the biggest ongoing costs is formula, she said.

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of clients requesting formula,” Neufeld said.

“Over the last two years, formula has gone up 46 per cent, which is much higher than inflation. There’s a number of reasons for this, but the primary thing is there’s been an ongoing shortage. There’s only three plants in North America that produce baby formula, and one of the three has been shut down multiple times over the last couple of years.”

Neufeld said they surveyed their clients earlier this year and 70 per cent of them identified the cost of formula and diapers as their number one concern, higher than housing and transportation.

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“If you can feed your child the powdered formula, you’re paying about $280 a month,” she said.

“If your baby can’t tolerate or is too young to take powdered formula, you’re looking at between $1,300 and $1,700 a month for the premixed formula.”

4:38 Baby formula costs creating desperate situation for some families

Neufeld said BabyGoRound is doing everything it can to help but it is struggling to meet the growing demand.

She said sometimes families cannot afford other baby essentials or moms might need to rely more on breast pumps to augment their supply, which are not only expensive but staff cannot keep up with the demand.

“This is extremely stressful for parents and unfortunately, it puts them in a difficult situation,” Neufeld added.

“We see desperate parents coming in who just want to be able to feed their babies. And what it means for the infant is that prolonged poor infant feeding creates challenging outcomes.”

If anyone can donate new or gently-used baby items or can donate money or formula, contact BabyGoRound.

1:00 Panic buying leads to baby formula shortage in B.C.