{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T09:45:52Z","timestamp":1792057552737,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":68,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785456000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":30,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000265","name":"Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["MR\/Z503575\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MR\/Z503575\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000265","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Maternal &amp;amp; Child Nutrition"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    In the UK, media reporting has highlighted the impact of high infant formula prices upon parent wellbeing and feeding practices. We explored this issue through surveys (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u2009261) and interviews (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u200920) with parents who were struggling to afford infant formula, and surveys (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u2009137) and interviews (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u200921) with stakeholders in infant feeding, parenting and food insecurity. Almost all parents and stakeholders identified a detrimental impact upon parental mental and physical health, relationships, social and emotional wellbeing. Parents described feeling shame, anxiety and sadness, compounded if mothers wanted to breastfeed but could not. Some continued to breastfeed through pain whilst others stopped because they worried their diet was insufficient. To afford milk some parents reported restricting their own food or heating, returning to work early and getting into debt. Almost half sourced formula, including opened products, from social media marketplaces (46.0%) or bought formulas marketed for older babies (45.2%). Over a third (39.1%) reported using an unsafe feeding practice, including using leftover formula for a feed later (28.7%), reducing sterilisation (21.5%), and watering down feeds (13.8%). Many realised these were not recommended practices and felt guilty and anxious. Although a third were supported by Healthy\/Best Start allowance, many families did not qualify for benefits or financial support and often had two working parents. Reduced maternity pay, high childcare costs and the broader cost\u2010of\u2010living crisis, affected affordability. Our data highlight an urgent need for intervention, including enhanced emergency provision pathways, stronger controls on formula marketing, infant formula price regulation, and enhanced breastfeeding support.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/mcn.70228","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T09:58:27Z","timestamp":1785491907000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Infant Formula Affordability Negatively Impacts Parental Wellbeing, Financial Security and Safe Feeding Practices in the UK"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0438-0157","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amy","family":"Brown","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science Swansea University Swansea UK"},{"name":"Centre for Lactation Infant Feeding and Translation (LIFT) Swansea UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Charlotte","family":"Walker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science Swansea University Swansea UK"},{"name":"Centre for Lactation Infant Feeding and Translation (LIFT) Swansea UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aimee","family":"Grant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science Swansea University Swansea UK"},{"name":"Centre for Lactation Infant Feeding and Translation (LIFT) Swansea UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sally","family":"Etheridge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leicester Mammas Leicester UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sabine","family":"Goodwin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Food Aid Network London UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6581-0536","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catrin","family":"Griffiths","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science Swansea University Swansea UK"},{"name":"Centre for Lactation Infant Feeding and Translation (LIFT) Swansea UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2182-6314","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science Swansea University Swansea UK"},{"name":"Centre for Lactation Infant Feeding and Translation (LIFT) Swansea UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7408-3417","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Holly","family":"Morse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science Swansea University Swansea UK"},{"name":"Centre for Lactation Infant Feeding and Translation (LIFT) Swansea UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rhiannon","family":"Phillips","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosalind","family":"Sharpe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Hertfordshire Hatfield UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Victoria","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Newcastle UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5189-8883","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Victoria","family":"Sibson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Steps Nutrition Trust The Food Exchange London UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","volume-title":"The All\u2010Party Parliamentary Group on Infant Feeding and Inequalities Inquiry Into the Cost of Infant Formula in the United Kingdom","author":"All\u2010Party Parliamentary Group on Infant Feeding and Inequalities","year":"2018"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","unstructured":"BBC News. (2023 December 12). Baby Formula Prices: Soaring Costs Devastating Family Finances \u2013 Survey.https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-67701180."},{"key":"e_1_2_9_4_1","volume-title":"How the Russia\u2010Ukraine War Has Compounded the Global Food Crisis","author":"Braun P.","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3945\/ajcn.115.120881"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_6_1","unstructured":"British Pregnancy Advisory Service.2023. The Costs of Infant Feeding Choices Today.https:\/\/images.bpas-campaigns.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/12110958\/BPAS-Infant-Feeding-Report.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_2_9_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jhn.12496"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1891\/2158-0782.9.4.200"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_9_1","volume-title":"Why Breastfeeding Grief and Trauma Matter","author":"Brown A.","year":"2019"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_10_1","volume-title":"Marketing of Infant Milk in the UK: What do Parents see and Believe?","author":"Brown A.","year":"2020"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jan.12832"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S1477175621000051"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-019-46358-0"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_14_1","unstructured":"Competition and Markets Authority.2025. Infant Formula and Follow\u2010on Formula Market Study: Final Report.https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/infant-formula-and-follow-on-formula-market-study-final-report."},{"key":"e_1_2_9_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12939-021-01431-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_16_1","unstructured":"CPAG.2025Child Poverty Statistics \u2013 New Record High and Further Breakdowns.https:\/\/cpag.org.uk\/news\/child-poverty-statistics-new-record-high-and-further-breakdowns."},{"key":"e_1_2_9_17_1","unstructured":"Crawley H. D. S.Westland andV.Sibson.2022. \u201cThe Bacterial Contamination of Powdered Infant Formula: Risks and Preparation Instructions.\u201d First Steps Nutrition Trust."},{"key":"e_1_2_9_18_1","volume-title":"Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research","author":"Creswell J. 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