Infant formula: CMA calls for stronger labelling and advertising rules

All infant formula brands should be displayed together and separately from other formula milks in stores to enable quick and easy price comparisons – suggests CMA 

The Competition and Marketing Authority (CMA) has recommended the governments of the four UK nations to strengthen advertising and labelling rules of infant formula to help parents make informed decisions and save money.

This follows a CMA study on infant formula and follow-on milks, which found that a combination of factors was leading to poor outcomes for parents.

Evidence reviewed by the CMA showed that parents could save around £300 in a baby’s first year of life by switching from a popular mid-priced product to a low-priced brand.

The CMA has put forward several recommendations, including:

• Standardised labelling in healthcare settings to reduce the influence of branding on parents' decisions
• Clear information on nutritional sufficiency to be provided in both healthcare and retail settings.
• Displaying all brands of infant formula together and separately from other formula milks to enable quick and easy price comparisons
• Extending the advertising ban (including price promotions and deals) to follow-on formulas.
• Allowing parents to use gift cards, vouchers, loyalty points, and coupons to purchase infant formula.

The CMA has also recommended strengthening the roles of relevant authorities, requiring them to approve the packaging of all infant formula products before sale.

Additionally, the CMA has recommended strengthening the role of relevant authorities by requiring them to approve the packaging of all infant formula products before sale

Currently, companies can put products onto the market before their labels have been reviewed.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, emphasised that these proposals were designed to help parents make “the best choices for them and their babies, with access to better information, while sharpening the effectiveness of the existing rules.”

Many parents choose a brand in vulnerable circumstances based on incomplete information, often believing that higher prices must mean better quality, Cardel noted, stating that this is happening despite NHS advice stating that “all brands will meet your baby’s nutritional needs, regardless of brand or price.”

“Our proposals will also make it easier for regulations to be properly enforced, while ensuring manufacturers and retailers can be more confident in what they can and can’t do according to law,” she added.

Government needs to go further  

Baroness Walmsley, chair of the House of Lords committee inquiry into food, diet and obesity, welcomed the CMA’s proposals, but stressed the need for further action on advertising of processed foods.

“While the proposals are welcome, they are a first step,” she said.

“The government must now turn its attention to the labelling, advertising and marketing of processed foods aimed at young children to prevent them being advertised for babies under four months, using misleading health claims and to reduce the permitted amount of free sugars in them.”

Walmsley acknowledged the rising cost of formula milk, which has gone up by 31 per cent in two years.

She raised concern that it is putting a lot of pressure on the budgets of families, particularly poorer families who tend to rely on them more.

She called on the government to implement the CMA’s recommendations immediately and ensure their enforcement.

The the House of Lords committee inquiry into food, diet and obesity completed its work in 2024 and published its report entitled Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system in October 2024.