The increase in the cost of powdered milk puts more pressure on parents

Ashley Utley, a 20-year-old girl from Chilliwack, British Columbia, who was unable to produce enough milk after an emergency C-section, says friends and family from all over the country — as far away as Ontario — are sending formula for her six-month-old. His son relies on it to meet his nutritional needs.

It's getting harder to find powdered milk at big box retailers like Walmart. As Canadians struggle to keep up with rising food prices, Oatley and other new parents are feeling more pressure as a supply shortage, in part caused by disruptions at American producers, has driven up the price of formula. Is. Statistics Canada data shows that, between September 2022 and September 2023, the price of powdered milk increased by more than 20 percent – from $31 per container to more than $38.

"The price of infant formula has risen nearly five times more than the average product in a grocery store since March 2022," said Sylvain Charlebois, a food policy researcher at Dalhousie University. "It's remarkable." How skyrocketing formula costs hurt families who can afford it least.

Utley says her son consumes between 24 and 30 ounces of formula every day, costing her more than $280 a month. She says she's had to cut back on other parts of her budget in order to feed her son. Ashley Uttley knows she needs community support. He states that Similac's formula is the only formula that Colette can afford, but that it has become extremely difficult to find in major retail locations such as Walmart.

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