Two years after the shortage of infant formula, the price of this good has exploded and many families sometimes find themselves in front of empty shelves.
Léa Lefevre-Radelli and her partner took the plunge, faced with the cost of powder preparation in pharmacies. For their two twins of breastfeeding age, they had to pay “$500 for milk per month,” says the mother of three.
A much higher bill than two years ago, when his eldest son was still an infant. “We bought milk from time to time, and it was much cheaper,” recalls the mother who is finishing her postdoctoral fellowship in educational sciences.
The price of infant formula has exploded by 54% over the past two years in Quebec. This is significantly more than the 9% increase observed for the grocery basket.
Before 2022, the price of infant formula was relatively stable at around $26 per 900 g. It now retails for almost $41.
Taken by surprise, Léa Lefevre-Radelli turned to social networks in search of boxes of powdered formula to give away, even containers that had already been opened. “The cheapest brands have been out of stock for months and we are looking for solutions to reduce the budget,” the mother wrote in a publication on the Facebook group Mamans de Villeray et Petite-Patrie.
With a family income of around $100,000 per year, Léa Lefevre-Radelli considers herself privileged. “But I really don’t know how women who make less money get there,” says the mother.
More difficult for the less fortunate
Low-income families are the first affected by the rising price of infant formula, and the organizations that help them are unable to meet demand.
“The vast majority of these are recently immigrant and very low-income families who are referred to us,” underlines Maud Lanckmans, intervention coordinator at the Groupe d’entraide maternal de La Petite-Patrie (GEM), a support organization that helps out parents of young children with basic products like infant formula.
When families call and say they no longer have money to feed their babies, we feel helpless.
Maude Lanckmans, intervention coordinator at the La Petite-Patrie Maternal Support Group
Some families come from as far as Pointe-aux-Trembles and Montréal-Nord to knock on his door. “Families often want to come every two weeks, but I cannot meet the demand,” regrets Maud Lanckmans.
Shortage and price increase
The closure of an Abbott Laboratories infant formula plant in Michigan in February 2022 caused a national formula shortage in Canada and the United States. The factory reopened four months later, but “a cascade effect was created, and the whole category began to suffer,” underlines the general director of the Association québécoise des distributors en pharmacie (AQDP) , Hugues Mousseau.
In recent years, powder formulas have become very rare due to supply challenges.
Hugues Mousseau, general director of the Quebec Association of Pharmacy Distributors (AQDP)
Result: manufacturers have turned to ready-to-drink formulas or liquid concentrates. “But these products have one less preparation step for parents to do, so they are more expensive,” adds Hugues Mousseau.
According to the director general of AQDP, the increase in the price of infant formula is explained by a combination of factors, including “the increase in the cost of raw materials, labor and transport costs, as well as by an imbalance between supply and demand.
Diversify the offer
In Canada, five producers share the over-the-counter infant formula market, including Abbott Nutrition and Nestlé Canada. “Generally, when there is less competition, there is a tendency for prices to rise,” underlines Johanne Le Blanc, budget advisor at Option consommateurs.
Consult the federal report “Infant formula evaluated by Health Canada”
The limited number of infant formula producers leaves parents little room for maneuver, according to the budget advisor. “It’s still worrying, because it’s an essential product for the people who use it. »
Canada has taken steps to stabilize the supply of infant formula since the shortage, including by importing replacement products from other countries, Health Canada said.
Health Canada has recognized that “access to affordable products constitutes a challenge for families”, but is banking on the diversification of supply sources to make infant formulas more accessible.
In early April, Ontario’s Canada Royal Milk plant received approval from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to begin producing infant formula. According to the Ministry, this production should help stabilize supplies in the country.