05/12/2025
My thoughts on the Formula for Change Campaign:
TL;DR: Letting people use loyalty points for formula is basically a plaster over a wound that actually needs stitches.
It was announced yesterday that UK guidance is changing, and retailers will now be allowed to accept loyalty points when customers buy infant formula. This hasnât been allowed before. The reasons were partly about worries that loyalty schemes might reduce breastfeeding rates, and partly about concerns that these schemes can push up product prices over time.
People in breastfeeding support circles are understandably worried. A lot of parents and other professionals are pleased. And if youâve followed me for a while, you wonât be shocked to learn that my view is⌠nuanced.
The internet hates nuance. I accept it.đ
Hereâs what we actually know:
⢠Formula is too expensive.
The Telegraph recently reported that formula companies are making profit margins of 50 to 75 percent, compared to the usual 5 percent for most food products.
⢠Making formula easier to access can contribute to normalising it, but the size of the effect depends on the scale.
We have solid evidence, including the BMJ article (linked in the comments), that free samples and promotional activity make it more likely that breastfeeding stops earlier than intended. These are large-scale marketing tactics. Allowing parents to use their own existing loyalty points is not the same thing, *but it sits in the same general direction.* The difference is that it is a smaller nudge.
⢠Babies who are not breastfed still need to eat.
⢠Formula is now so expensive that some families report watering it down to make it last longer.
This is dangerous, and it reflects how brutal the current cost of living situation is for many households.
⢠Most parents want to breastfeed and most feel guilt, shame or grief when they canât.
When I was told I couldnât use my Boots points to buy formula for my eldest, I felt horrible. And I didnât stop breastfeeding because I could or couldnât use loyalty points. I stopped because I didnât have support. A decade of doing this work has taught me that my experience is sadly very normal in the UK.
⢠Loyalty schemes donât make formula cheaper.
You donât earn points on formula. You use points earned from other spending. The more spare money a family has, the more points they build up, which means the families who need the most help are the ones who benefit the least.
⢠This change does not fix the actual reason people turn to formula when they didnât plan to.
We do not provide good, consistent, timely breastfeeding support. Not across the UK. Not for everyone. Not at the right moments.
So is this new policy a win? A step backward? Something in the middle?
My instinct is that, on its own, it will not change much for most families.
Families who already struggle to afford formula will still struggle.
Parents who want to breastfeed will still not receive the support they need.
Formula companies will still make eye-watering profits on an essential product.
In the bigger picture, I am cautious. Sometimes small shifts like this end up opening the door to weaker marketing restrictions or price changes later on. Time will tell.
