It’s already a struggle to afford groceries as a single person, imagine being a new parent who has to deal with soaring baby formula prices.
That’s what one person pointed out in a recent Reddit post. User drewber83 shared a photo of the price of Nestlé Good Start baby formula in New Brunswick.
“Tough to be a parent in 2024,” reads the post. “I can’t imagine having a kid and not being able to breastfeed them and having to spend this much.”
The photo shows a 942-gram container costing $62.99.
Tough to be a parent in 2024
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It’s not clear what store it’s being sold at, but a quick online scan shows that the same brand of baby formula is $65.79 at Shoppers Drug Mart, $62.97 at Walmart, and $62.99 at No Frills.
Canadian parents flooded the comments, many saying that they’ve seen these prices double in the past few years.
“In 2021, I was paying $19.96 for one can of regular Good Start. In 2024, it’s now $37.97 for the same can,” reads one comment.
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“Yes, in the last two years the price of formula has DOUBLED,” reads another comment. “Canada doesn’t make formula, not a single factory in the entire country. So we’re 100% dependent on leftovers from US demand…. which just like our pharmaceuticals…. leads to shortages.”
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Many blame suppliers like Nestlé for the inflated baby formula prices.
“In 2016, I was paying $26.99 on sale and now I see the online mom groups excited about $43 at Costco… hopefully it’s larger than this, too. And an obligatory f**k Nestlé,” shared one parent.
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A general practitioner based in Nova Scotia even shared an interview with CBC Halifax about skyrocketing formula prices.
“It’s not just Loblaws when it comes to high prices- every chain has this issue,” they explained. “It appears the suppliers are the culprit- Mead and Johnson, Abbott Pharmaceutical, and Nestlé to name a few when it comes to North America.”
One childless Redditor asked how many servings one can of formula would be and received what they called a “depressing” reply.
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According to a CBC investigation in 2020, Nestlé said raw packaging and material costs, import duties, costs of production, local taxes, and shipping and transportation are just a few factors that can influence the retail price of baby formula.
Daily Hive has reached out to Nestlé for comment.
If you’re a parent, how have these prices affected you? Let us know in the comments.