High cost of baby formula leaves parents stressed, desperate and seeking charity

As the cost of infant formula continues to climb across Canada, many families are being forced to hustle for coupons or rely on charity to feed their babies.

The average price of formula jumped 30 per cent between February 2022 and February 2024, according to Statistics Canada.

But Shadia Foster believes the gap has widened even farther in the last two months since store-brand formula seemingly vanished off store shelves in Nova Scotia — part of a North America-wide shortage that began two years ago.

She has no choice but to buy the more expensive brand-name products for her three-month-old daughter, Lila.

"When we had to switch fully to formula and I started looking around, it was just really disheartening to see the high cost and the lack of variety in different formulas," said Foster.

She said she's paying about double the amount compared to when she had her first daughter four years ago.

In the same suburban neighbourhood of Beaver Bank, Samantha Nicholson is experiencing a similar price shock. She has three children under the age of four — all were formula-fed. Her youngest, also Lila, has tried multiple brands as Nicholson furiously navigates supply issues.

She often e-transfers money to friends and family when they see formula on sale and pick it up on her behalf.

"[Lila is] only five months old and I can't tell you how much money I've spent just sending people money or bulk buying or anything like that," Nicholson said.

"Lying awake in bed wondering if you're going to be able to feed your kid is just a gross feeling. It's not nice and it's something that feels very out of your control."

Last week, Nicholson said Kirkland-brand formula reappeared in Nova Scotia after a six-month hiatus on store shelves, so she rushed to Costco to stock up. However, it's still much more than what she paid with her first child. In 2021, she spent $28.99 for powdered Kirkland formula. The most recent canister was $43.99. The supply lasts about three days.

For other brands tailored to dietary sensitivities such as lactose, the price can be closer to $70.

Food, Health and Consumer Products Canada, a group that represents formula manufacturers, told CBC Information Morning Halifax the Canadian supply is "stabilizing" after a recall in the U.S. staggered production in February 2022. However, the group said the cost of making formula has also increased in recent years.

Foster, who runs a Facebook group dedicated to formula concerns, said families are constantly weighing in about their struggles to find and pay for formula.