‘Formula foraging’ and black market deals – the desperate side of the baby milk crisis

Standing in the supermarket aisle in front of a wall of baby formula, Alisha looks down at one of the bright yellow security tags clamped on the boxes.

Her four-month-old baby Jayden is crying while her daughter Keira, five, stares up at her. 

Jayden is starving. He hasn’t had anything to eat all day, so Alisha starts to prise the security tag from the product, looking around anxiously as she does…

This angst-filled moment is actually a scene is from an upcoming short film – but one that is also played out in reality for thousands across the UK, with parents forced to make devastating sacrifices to feed their babies as the cost of formula milk reaches new, unaffordable, heights. 

From being so desperate they water down milk or resort to stealing in order to afford to feed their babies, there’s no doubt we’re in the grip of a baby formula crisis.

When mum-of-one Naomi Waring noticed that powdered baby milk was being kept behind shop counters –  nestled among alcohol, cigarettes and razors – she decided to take action. 

Coming up with the idea for the new film MILK, she tells the story of Alisha and her two children, Jayden and Keira, and the family’s battle to afford to eat.

Naomi, based in South London, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I was floored at how many people were struggling with feeding their children since the cost of living crisis and, honestly, MILK the film just spilled out of me. It was desperate to be written.

Sign the Formula For Change petition here.  

‘I read a lot about parents who were having to make the decision to steal formula in order to keep their baby from starving. Not only that, there is a whole other side which includes formula milk being sold on the black market. There’s also another thing called “formula foraging” where parents buy formula from whoever they can.’

This practice sees people, often with good intentions, share unfinished formula milk. But these open tubs can harbour bacteria, especially if they’re out of date. Experts have previously warned that formula foraging could lead to a baby developing a stomach bug or, in extreme situations, result in a visit to A&E.

Naomi stresses: ‘There’s really a health crisis happening, but people don’t have an alternative. I don’t think many are even aware of it, because of the shame that comes with not being able to feed your child as a parent.’

In the MILK screenplay, Alisha lives on a council estate and snacks on chewing gum instead of eating full meals, in order to provide for Keira and Jayden.

The film follows her as she tries to use her Healthy Start voucher, which is worth £8.50 a week. However, it’s not enough for the formula milk, which cost £13 at her local newsagent. She then goes to a bigger supermarket, where the price tag remains too high – £12 – which is when in desperation she attempts to steal the formula milk, before shop staff catch her. 

The film, the focus of a Crowdfunder launched today, explores the heart-breaking reality for so many new parents, especially single mums, trying to survive.

In writing the script, Naomi realised how lucky she was to be able to breastfeed her son, now 15.

‘Formula milk can cost up to £18 in shops now,’ Naomi, 40, explains. ‘With the amount of money that bottles and bottle cleaning equipment costs, I just would not have been able to afford it. I was lucky I could breastfeed but I would often think “what would have happened if I couldn’t?”

‘A friend of mine was in that situation and was really struggling with that at the time, so I would donate my breast milk to her.’

Naomi is currently fundraising to make the MILK, with exciting names already in talks to star – more on that in the future. She’s aiming to raise £20,000, and any surplus funding will be donated to charity Feed, the partner for Metro’s award-winning Formula for Change campaign, which aims to get outdated guidelines surrounding the sales of baby formula changed. 

Naomi explains: ‘It was one of those lovely serendipitous moments where I picked up Metro and the page it was on was an article about Formula for Change and the relationship Metro had with Feed. 

‘I was so excited to see how well the campaign was doing and the audience it was reaching. I was reading about how Richard Walker [Iceland CEO] was also championing the initiative.’

While Alisha’s story in MILK is a harrowing one, Naomi adds, ‘the film speaks to this idea of what we can do for each other in terms of kindness.

‘Even though reaching out to help someone won’t change the systemic issue, the long term impact of that sense of connection and community is really important. I think that’s something we’re all been desperate for since the pandemic.’

Naomi’s work is often influenced by social realism, with a particular interest in youth culture and the female perspective.  With previous films such Ode – which explores disco dancing culture within a remote Northern Irish community – and Little Ones – which follows the story of two young mums – she hopes to change the narrative around working-class stories and empower people’s voices.

She adds: ‘I think if people can connect and see these mums are more than just a figure or a statistic, then there could be some legislation change.

‘Babies are starving in this country and that’s easily fixed.’

To contribute to the MILK Crowdfunder, click here.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Kirsten.Robertson@metro.co.uk 

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