The problem with having an in-demand, unaffordable product is that people will look for alternative ways of finding it. A black market in baby formula has sprung up and some parents have become increasingly desperate.
Like most first-time dads, this father wants to do the best for his baby son, even if that means stealing baby formula to keep him fed.Most days, this man and his partner take him for walks along the beach in his buggy. The sea air is fresh. It sounds idyllic, but the truth is they can barely afford to feed him."I was trying to make the milk last, so I wasn't putting as much powder in as it said to," the man said. The responsibility of feeding a baby weighs heavily.
His response was simple and to the point:"Just some stuff I have stolen, if I had the money I'd pay for it." Sky News has also spoken to other desperate parents risking their babies' health by feeding them formula that is either watered down or mixed with cow's milk or sugar-laden condensed milk. Her team of volunteers now support around 170 families a week, with baby formula their second most-requested item behind nappies.
"People are doing unsafe things," Emilie says."They are swapping to [different types] of formula and that's not good for digestion. They have said: 'I'd rather baby had a rash than be starving'. It's that stigma, that shame. Will you be trolled? Will people try and take your child away?"The problem with having an in-demand, unaffordable product is that people will look for alternative ways of finding it. A black market in baby formula has sprung up.
One mum told Sky News she was even considering selling sexual images of herself to meet the cost of it. She would like to see a clampdown:"It's dangerous, but people are desperate. That child could be eating something that's riddled with bacteria. I don't want to see babies ended up in hospital with stomach bugs, but it seems inevitable.
"The nutrition that babies are receiving right now determines their health going forward for the next 80 years."The need for better solutions for families is clear. Clare Murphy from BPAS explained that there are short-term measures that could help, but also wants a proper government-led review to establish what is going on."It really needs an urgent review to see how we can absolutely secure access to affordable infant formula for every family that needs it.
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