Pictures which show baby milk formula locked away in security boxes in shops across Greater Manchester have sparked fury among M.E.N readers about the cost of living. In some stores security tags have been wrapped around tins of formula milk powder and others have been removed from shelves altogether as staff say they've become a "prime target" for thieves.
At a Boots branch in Edgeley, Stockport, the M.E.N found all the large containers of formula milk had been taken off the shelves. In similar scenes at the Tesco Express stores on Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens, and the big Tesco Extra store near Portwood roundabout in Stockport, alarmed tags had been wrapped round all brands of formula.
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Some stores said the security measures had already been in place for a number of years, but the topic has opened a wider debate about the cost of baby formula at a time when prices are already so high.
In March this year, Aptamil Organic 1 First Infant Milk from Birth 800g rose from £12 to £13.50 in Sainsbury’s. And Cow & Gate 1-2 Years Growing Up Milk 200ml increased by 5p to 75p in Tesco. At a Co-op store in Manchester city centre, larger sizes of baby milk formula ranged from £11 to £13.25, and in a Tesco store the essential item was being sold for as much as £14.
Scores of Manchester Evening News readers revealed on Facebook that they were struggling to afford the cost of baby milk formula, with others suggesting that the product should be subsidised by the government.
One woman wrote: "I don't condone stealing, but this is heartbreaking. How have we got here in 2022 that people are so desperate they have to steal in order to feed their baby. Why the hell baby formula isn't free or on prescription for those on lower incomes or struggling financially is beyond me - it's hardly a choice whether we buy it or not, it's a baby's lifeline."
Another said: "People can barely afford gas and electric as it has rocketed, food has shot up too. Don't judge the people as it didn't need security cases until everything went beyond what we are earning. Not everyone is on a good wage yet they are still probably flogging their guts out to try and break even. The fact it now has to be stolen is extremely sad in this day and age."
Another said: "The price of baby milk which is a necessity should not have been allowed to rise to the price it has. It’s disgraceful the price of it." One woman shared her own heartbreaking experience of the cost of living crisis, revealing that her boyfriend was forced to return to work the day after she gave birth.
"Do you wonder why," she said in response to the theft of baby milk formula. "You cannot get by on maternity pay. I'm lucky I had such a hardworking partner who cracked on whilst also sleep deprived and adjusting," she added. "New mums are going through enough then they have to put all that pressure on the new dads too. The rising costs have to surely stop somewhere."
Another woman said: "They are far too expensive and the tins are only half full. I had two babies on formula and took them off a few months ago because I was going through almost 3 tins per week and just could not afford it. Luckily they were over 12 months so helped with the guilt of taking them off so early."
One man wrote: "It's a sign of the times. Ordinary people are sinking further into poverty as the price of practically everything continues its rapid increase. I can well understand why some people find it necessary to steal baby milk."
A supermarket source said it would be wrong to suggest the move was connected to the cost of living as the measures were introduced in most stores before the pandemic. Another said the larger formula tins, which retail for between £10 and £15, had always been considered a 'high-value item' alongside expensive meats and alcohol. Tesco and Asda declined to comment.
A Boots spokeswoman said: "Our Castle Street store has unfortunately been a target of theft for a while, which is why some items have been removed from the shop floor to help prevent them from being stolen. Store colleagues created this solution to protect stock and ensure there is always some available for those customers wishing to buy it. We take any attempt at theft extremely seriously, and we have a zero-tolerance approach to it in our stores."
A spokesperson for Co-op, confirmed: "Co-op has been involved in a small scale trial of new packaging for higher-value products such as meat for several years, with the additional security providing a further deterrent if a store locally experiences shoplifting issues. The move formed part of our Safer Colleagues campaign which has also succeeded in bringing in stricter sentences for violent incidents against shop workers."
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