MORRISONS has made a huge change to its loyalty scheme rules and parents will love it.
The UK's fifth largest supermarket has said parents can now use their £5 money off vouchers to buy first baby formula.
This comes after the Competitions Market Authority (CMA) made recommendations to the government to allow shoppers to use loyalty points and vouchers to buy infant formula.
It was one of a number of suggestions proposed by the watchdog after an investigation, including clearly display nutritional information so parents can make informed decisions.
It was also revealed that formula prices had risen by 25% over the past two years.
The change means Morrisons More Card holders can use their vouchers on the milk alternative for newborns.
Those who are signed up the loyalty scheme earn points when they shop in Morrisons and once they earn 5,000 points that are given £5 off their shop.
However, shoppers can still not earn loyalty points when they buy the products. This is also the case at other major supermarkets.
Shoppers who use the scheme could pay £8.50 for a 800g box of Aptamil 1 First Infant Baby Milk Powder instead of £13.50.
Kate Lavery, director of loyalty atMorrisons, said:“First baby formula is an essential item in the weekly shop for many parents.
“And we are helping them to save on their purchase by allowing More Card Fivers to be redeemed on the product.”
Morrisons is not the only supermarket to switch up how it sells baby formula.
Iceland previously reduced the price of its SMA baby formula powder, making it the cheapest chain to sell the brand.
Speaking at the time, Richard Walker, executive chairman of Iceland Foods, said: “Families with babies are still struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and we have a moral obligation to take action.
“That is why we are heaping further pressure on the manufacturers, the regulators and the market as a whole to bring prices down, just like Iceland is doing.”
More recently the supermarket also agreed to have labels in store which show all first stage baby formula are nutritionally equivalent regardless of price.
The NHS has advisesd that “it does not matter what brand you choose, they’ll all meet your baby’s nutritional needs, regardless of price”.
Parents also often listen to advice from friends and family when choosing a formula, which means the brand’s reputation plays a much larger role in the decision making.
HOW TO COMPARE FORMULA PRICES
Currently, an 800g tub of Aptamil Advanced 1 First Infant Baby Milk formula costs £18 at Tesco.
Meanwhile, the same size tub of SMA PRO First Infant Baby Milk formula costs £13 at the supermarket.
In comparison, last year a trendy baby formula brand launched a cut-price “affordable” version.
The Bonya formula is around a third cheaper than most other major brands on the market and contains the same nutrients.
Its 800g First Infant Milk 1 from Birth costs just £8.45 at Tesco.
There is just one retailer in the UK which sells its own brand, which is Aldi.
All baby formula must contain the same nutritional composition by law, so cheaper brands have all the nutrients babies need.
When at the supermarket it's important to make sure that you are shopping around to get the best deal.
You can use a comparison website such as Trolley, My Supermarket Compare and Priceable to check the cost of infant formula at different supermarkets.
Always check the price per gram or ml to make sure you are comparing like-for-like.
This should be in small print on the price label in the shop.
WHAT HELP IS FOR PARENTS
If you receive certain benefits and are pregnant or have at least one child under the age of four then you can apply for Healthy Start vouchers.
You will get:
- £4.25 each week of your pregnancy
- £8.50 each week for children from birth to one year old
- £4.25 each week for children between one and four years old
The money will stop after your child's fourth birthday or if you no longer receive benefits.
If you are eligible you will be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops.
The money will be added onto this card every four weeks.
You can use the card to buy:
- Plain liquid cow's milk
- Fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables
- Fresh, dried and tinned pulses
- Infant formula milk based on cow's milk
To be eligible for the scheme you must be receiving one of the following benefits:
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker's allowance
- Child tax credit if your family's annual income is £16,190 or less, and not getting working tax credit
- Universal creditif your family's monthly earned income is £408 or less from employment
- Pension credit
