Malnourished babies could be rushed to hospital as the cost of formula milk soars, an Aberdeen baby bank said.
AberNecessities called on the UK government to drop its adherence to UNICEF guidelines, which leave food banks reluctant to hand out formula.
UNICEF said that “while on the surface” food banks “seem like a practical solution”, handing out formula “can be a risky practice that can inadvertently cause harm”.
But AberNecessities called the current situation “not sustainable”.
Cost of cheapest formula milk rose 22% in past year
The price of the cheapest brand of formula milk has risen 22% in the past year, according to analysis by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). The cost of formula milk across all brands has risen 11%.
The NHS says cows’ milk should not be given to a baby under the age of one, leaving many mothers reliant on formula.
AberNecessities co-founder Danielle Flecher-Horn said the situation, already an “emergency”, is set to get worse without government intervention.
Broke mothers using watered-down formula
“We’ve already seen mums giving their children watered-down formula milk, because they can’t afford to buy enough,” said Danielle.
“So that’s already happening. But it’s going to get worse.
“In the run-up to Christmas we’ve seen applications for help go from 250 a month to 200 a week.
“Lower income households have already been disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis. And now it’s plunging more and more families into poverty.
“The impact this is having is huge, and it’s long-term. It’s not sustainable. It’s an emergency.”
Eleven emergency referrals for formula milk in last week alone
She added: “Without fast action, we fear we’ll see malnourished babies admitted to hospital.
“Last week alone we saw 11 emergency referrals for families in desperate need of formula milk. Thankfully the structures and processes we have in place ensured we were able to deliver formula to them within 24 hours.
“We also need to think about the long-term damage being unable to afford formula milk has on both mother and baby. And not just in terms of nourishment. If a mother can’t give her baby what it needs, can’t feed it, that can also have an enormous, long-term impact on the relationship between mother and child.
“What is it going to take for the government to change policy so that formula is available in food banks?”
BPAS chief executive Clare Murphy said: “The government cannot stand by as babies are placed at risk of malnutrition and serious illness due to the cost-of-living crisis and the soaring price of infant formula.”
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