High cost of baby formula leaves parents stressed, desperate and seeking charity

As the cost of infant for‐ mula continues to climb across Canada, many fami‐ lies are being forced to hus‐ tle for coupons or rely on charity to feed their ba‐ bies.

The average price of for‐ mula jumped 30 per cent be‐ tween February 2022 and February 2024, according to Statistics Canada.

But Shadia Foster believes the gap has widened even farther in the last two mon‐ ths since store-brand for‐ mula seemingly vanished off store shelves in Nova Scotia part of a North America-wide shortage that began two years ago.

She has no choice but to buy the more expensive brand-name products for her three-month-old daughter, Lila.

"When we had to switch fully to formula and I started looking around, it was just re‐ ally disheartening to see the high cost and the lack of vari‐ ety in different formulas," said Foster.

She said she's paying about double the amount compared to when she had her first daughter four years ago.

Stocking up whenever possible

In the same suburban neigh‐ bourhood of Beaver Bank, Samantha Nicholson is expe‐ riencing a similar price shock. She has three children under the age of four - all were for‐ mula-fed. Her youngest, also Lila, has tried multiple brands as Nicholson furious‐ ly navigates supply issues.

She often e-transfers money to friends and family when they see formula on sale and pick it up on her be‐ half.

"[Lila is] only five months old and I can't tell you how much money I've spent just sending people money or bulk buying or anything like that," Nicholson said.

"Lying awake in bed won‐ dering if you're going to be able to feed your kid is just a gross feeling. It's not nice and it's something that feels very out of your control."

Last week, Nicholson said Kirkland-brand formula reap‐ peared in Nova Scotia after a six-month hiatus on store shelves, so she rushed to Costco to stock up. However, it's still much more than what she paid with her first child. In 2021, she spent $28.99 for powdered Kirkland formula. The most recent canister was $43.99. The supply lasts about three days.

For other brands tailored to dietary sensitivities such as lactose, the price can be closer to $70.

Food, Health and Con‐ sumer Products Canada, a group that represents for‐ mula manufacturers, told CBC Information Morning Halifax the Canadian supply is "stabilizing" after a recall in the U.S. staggered produc‐ tion in February 2022. How‐ ever, the group said the cost of making formula has also increased in recent years.

Foster, who runs a Nova Scotia Facebook group dedi‐ cated to formula concerns, said families are constantly weighing in about their strug‐ gles to find and pay for for‐ mula.

"There are women who are saying they'll drive any‐ where to get coupons," said Foster.

"We shouldn't have to do that. We should be able to easily go out and buy for‐ mula that's affordable and feed our babies."

Low-income reality

At The North Grove in Dart‐ mouth, staff have also wit‐ nessed a surge in despera‐ tion. The centre offers pro‐ grams and resources for fam‐ ilies in need, including food.

Executive director Wendy Fraser said formula is a pop‐ ular request.

"I would say out of every seven parents who come in asking for it, we're able to provide for one," she said.

"We have a lot of new‐ comers here. We have a lot of young, single-parent fami‐ lies who are on limited in‐ comes. And so even if you're fortunate and you have $1,000 to spend … if you're spending $65 for one can of formula, you still have to pay rent and everything else … it becomes nearly impossible."

Fraser said the result is that many parents are choos‐ ing to forgo meals for them‐ selves, or stretching their for‐ mula supply to make it last longer.

Dr. J Mathew Abraham, a family physician in Nova Scotia, has also talked to pa‐ tients who "water it down."

"It's a concern because the actual formula will lose its nutritional value. It's sup‐ posed to be made in a cer‐ tain way. If you water it down, you're going to lose some of that nutritional val‐ ue and that's going to ad‐ versely affect the health of the baby," he told Informa‐ tion Morning Halifax.

'Should be covered,' says Halifax doctor

Abraham would like to see Ottawa include baby formula in its proposed pharmacare plan intended to cover med‐ ications such as birth control and diabetic supplies.

"It's not a traditional med‐ icine, but it actually should be. It's a medical essential item that should be covered," he said.

He has written several politicians, including local members of Parliament and Premier Tim Houston.

The province of Nova Scotia recently enhanced support to several commu‐ nity organizations, providing $200,000 grants to help pay for rising food costs general‐ ly. Maggie's Place Family Re‐ source Centre in Cumberland County was part of last year's pilot program.

"We used to rely on dona‐ tions. But since we've had this new funding, we've been able to use it for formula," said Kate McNeil, prenatal and postnatal co-ordinator at Maggie's Place.

"We've given out more formula in the past year than we ever have."

The North Grove also re‐ ceived $100,000 to "increase access to healthy foods for vulnerable Nova Scotians," according to a spokesperson with the Department of Com‐ munity Services.

Formula in other coun‐ tries

Foster argues the funding should be more universal, similar to a government-run program in the U.S. The Spe‐ cial Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, provides monthly food packages to low-income families. It allows participants to use an elec‐ tronic card to buy the ap‐ proved food and beverages at their local store.

Under the program, ba‐ bies are eligible for formula amounts up to 26 litres, or roughly 110 bottles per month.

In several European coun‐ tries, the rising cost of for‐ mula has also been a hotbutton issue - yet it remains half the price compared to Canada.

Abraham said that isn't right.

"I have a lot of patients who are mothers who are trying to breastfeed and can‐ not breastfeed and they rely on infant formula and they're distressed. They're absolutely upset that they need some‐ thing for their children - for their baby's nutritional needs - and they cannot afford it," he said.

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