Boss of Deeside based Iceland celebrates baby formula campaign milestone

The boss of Deeside-based Iceland, Richard Walker, is marking a significant victory in the fight to make infant formula more accessible to UK families.

An online petition initiated last July by the formula campaign group Feed has garnered over 100,000 signatures, achieving the necessary support to bring the issue to the floor of Parliament for debate.

This campaign seeks to address the urgent need for legislative review to permit the use of alternative payment methods such as loyalty points, grocery vouchers from food banks and local authorities, and store gift cards for purchasing infant formula.

The initiative comes in response to the mounting pressures faced by parents struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, exacerbated by a 22% price increase in the least expensive brands of infant formula.

Some hard pressed families have been pushed towards unsafe infant feeding practices, including formula foraging and theft, as a desperate means to secure this essential nourishment for their babies.

The prevailing legal interpretation suggests that current laws restrict the purchase of formula with cash equivalents, a stance increasingly contested by legal experts.

This call for legislative clarity underlined the campaign’s goal to ensure no child goes hungry due to financial barriers.

Richard Walker, who has been a staunch supporter of the campaign since its inception, celebrated the petition’s success on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the collective effort behind reaching this critical milestone.

BOOM – we got it to 100,000 signatures! An amazing team effort & bloody brilliant this urgent issue will now be debated in parliament. https://t.co/7Gyn06EjvH pic.twitter.com/GLqkt5xepn

— Richard Walker (@icelandrichard) March 1, 2024

Walker’s advocacy for the campaign is part of a broader initiative to support UK parents during these challenging times, including Iceland’s proactive measures to reduce formula prices despite facing regulatory challenges.

Speaking last year, Walker emphasised the need for legal reforms to empower retailers in assisting families to feed their children amidst financial struggles.

His plea for UK government action resonates with the campaign’s broader call for support, both from the government and the retail sector, to alleviate the burdens on families across the UK.