Major supermarket slashes price of baby formula to help parents save cash in cost of living crisis
A MAJOR supermarket has slashed the price of its baby formula to help parents save cash during the cost of living crisis.
Iceland has cut the costs of its range of formula milk products by 20%.
The price drop is effective from today (August 15) across all Iceland stores and online.
Shoppers who visit its discount store The Food Warehouse will also see a drop in baby formula products.
It comes after The Sun launched its Baby, Bank On Us campaign to help thousands of parents with babies and small children.
For example, shoppers can save £4.75 on Kendamil stage 3 milk, 800 - down from £14 to £9.25.
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In comparison, Boots is selling it for £12 while Tesco is selling it for £15.
Parents can also save £2.50 on all of Iceland's Aptamil products, which were originally costing £14.50.
Superdrug has it for £1449 while eBay is selling it for £17.99.
Here's the full list of baby products the frozen retailer has cut the price on:
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- Aptamil 800g First Infant Milk, was £14.50 now £12.00
- Aptamil 800g Growing Up Milk, was £14.50 now £12.00
- Aptamil 800g Follow-on Milk, was £14.50 now £12.00
- Cow & Gate 800g Milk Powder, was £10.75 now £9.75
- Cow & Gate 800g Follow-on Milk, was £11.50 now £9.75
- Cow & Gate 800g Growing Up Milk, was £10.50 now £9.50
- Kendamil 800g Classic Milk, was £11.50 now £9.25
- Kendamil 800g Stage 2 Milk, was £11.50 now £9.25
- Kendamil 800g Stage 1 Organic Milk, was £13.50 now £9.25
- Kendamil 800g Stage 3 Milk, was £14 now £9.25
- Kendamil 250m First Infant Milk, was £1.20 now £1
- SMA 400g First Infant Milk, was £7 now £6.50
- SMA 400g Follow On Milk, was £7 now £5.75
- SMA 3pk First Infant Milk, was £3 now £2.50
Iceland said the price drop will continue until at least the end of the year.
It's always worth shopping around for the best deal anyway as you may be able to find it cheaper, though we couldn't find anything when we checked.
Though prices have risen recently - there are now calls for the competition watchdog to investigate the manufacturers.
The cost of the cheapest brand — Aldi’s Mamia range — has risen 34 per cent in two years from £6.99 to £9.39 for an 800g tin, according to First Step Nutrition.
Meanwhile, big brands such as Aptamil, Cow & Gate, SMA and HiPP have hiked prices by up to 31 per cent.
Richard Walker, executive chairman of Iceland Foods, said: “If parents cannot breast feed or choose to use formula for whatever reason, we need to ensure it is accessible for them.
"More and more parents across the country are living in fear about being able to feed their babies, and they don’t feel supermarkets are doing enough to help them.
"Reducing the price on formula is the right thing to do to support our customers."
It comes a month after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisted supermarkets must drop prices after inflation had fallen.
The headline rate fell from 8.7% in May to 7.9% in June.
Commenting on the figures, Mr Hunt said: "We want to make sure that supermarkets and other retailers are passing those on to families as quickly as possible, because people are feeling a lot of pressure."
Last week Iceland pulled down the shutters on another branch following a string of other closures.
The frozen food specialist pulled the plug its store in Cowden High Street, Fife over the weekend.
Right now, there are around 800 Iceland branches across the UK.
This closure will be followed by its Llanelli store, which will open for the final time on Saturday, September 2.
The chain's supermarket in the Market Shopping Centre in Crewe and it's branch in Grange Road, Birkenhead will then close for the last time on Saturday, September 16.
It follows the closures of 12 Iceland supermarkets earlier this year.
How to keep grocery costs down
- Check labels for the price per item or by weight as you often get things cheaper if you go for bigger packs.
- You can check where items are cheapest using which compares the prices of 130,000 products across 14 major supermarkets.
- The also lets you search items and lets you compare prices at several supermarkets to see where it's cheaper.
- Look for store cupboard essentials such as rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes and dried herbs in the world food aisle as it's often cheaper than in other sections.
- Sign up for loyalty cards at all the supermarkets and take advantage of the offers they give access to.
- Buy frozen fruit, veg, fish and meat as it's often a lot cheaper than buying fresh.
- Plan your meals before you shop and buy only what you need.
- Buy own brand and budget ranges rather than the luxury versions some supermarkets offer.
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If you are worried about the cost of living or debt, then a number of charities offer free advice or help:
- National Debtline - 0808 808 4000
- Step Change - 0800 138 1111
- Citizens Advice - 0808 800 9060
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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