Price of infant formula skyrockets as major retailers put it under lock and key

Prices of most things have gone up significantly, but for parents using baby formula, increases have been staggering, so much so some retailers are now keeping it under lock and key.

“A lot of retailers are locking up these products just because they’ve seen an increase in theft unfortunately,” said Sylvain Charlebois, director of Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

As many struggle to keep up with the rising cost of food, parents are feeling an added pinch. As supply shortages sparked by disruptions in the United States push the price of formula even higher compared to just two years ago.

“Based on our data, we believe that infant formula in Canada has increased anywhere from 60 to 80 per cent and in some cases 100 per cent. Double of what it was back in March or April of 2022,” said Charlebois.

For parent Martine Bradbury, she says formula is costing her roughly $400 every month. Her six-month-old baby girl has a lactose intolerance and finding what she needs isn’t always easy.

“So far the only steady place we’ve been able to find it is well.ca. Everybody’s been looking out for formula for us, but we did come to a point where we only had a week or so left,” Bradbury said.

Now, some major retailers like Food Basics are continuing to add new security measures across the province to prevent theft.

“Many products have actually gone up in price. But the two that really strike you when you go through the list are vegetable oil is number one and infant baby formula is two. So, prices have gone up way up and retailers are noticing more, more theft essentially,” said Charlebois.

And unlike the U.S., Canada doesn’t manufacture its own baby formula, until now. Last week, Kingston’s Canada Royal Milk plant received final approval to start production with the distribution of infant formula expected this summer.

“This will tremendously decrease the shortage all over Canada, because our capacity is big enough, we can supply whatever the local market needs,” said general manager, Chenggang Han.

It’s a silver of light at the end of the tunnel for many parents, who like Martine continue to grapple with the pressure of feeding their babies.

“I don’t know what I would do if we couldn’t find it,” said Martine.