Competition and Markets Authority infant and follow-on formula Market Study final report

On Friday 14 February 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority published its much-anticipated final infant and follow-on formula market study report. We welcome the report and fully support the proposed set of recommendations, many of which we have been advocating for some time. The final documents include an 8-page overview of the findings, 34-page Executive Summary and comprehensive 185-page Final report, together with 6 Appendices, a qualitative research report and 35 submissions published in response to the CMA’s interim report (including ours).
 
The following figure (available here) summarises the 11 recommendations from the CMA’s final report:

First Steps Nutrition Trust and the Baby Feeding Law Group UK issued a press release with feedback on the morning of 14 February, together with quotes from Jess Brown-Fuller MP (Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Infant Feeding), Baroness Walmsley (Chair of the House of Lords all party inquiry entitled ‘Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system’), Alison Morton, CEO of the Institute for Health Visiting (iHV) and Dr Chris van Tulleken, doctor, author and broadcaster. Our Senior Nutritionist, Dr Katie Pereira-Kotze was also on BBC Breakfast at 08:30 the morning the report was launched, see here. On 21 February, the Food Foundation shared this helpful short podcast: "CMA formula update" and on the same day The Grocer published this feature about the report: "Can the CMA save parents from infant formula confusion?"
 
We are currently finalising a comprehensive response to the CMA’s final report, incorporating inputs from the members of the BFLG-UK, and this will be available in due course on the BFLG website here.
 
In the meantime, we strongly recommend that all four governments urgently implement the package of recommendations put forward by the CMA, to ensure that all parents, however they feed their babies, can make informed infant feeding choices. We urge the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to take the lead on providing the clear, impartial, accurate messaging required. There are some recommendations that can be implemented without regulatory change (including improved enforcement and the standardisation of infant formula labelling in health care settings). An important recommendation that we fully agree with but understand may take time (requiring public consultation) is the strengthening of labelling and advertising rules. We see this as an opportunity for the UK legislation to be more aligned with global guidance, to protect all infants, by ensuring safe and appropriate formula feeding together with the protection of breastfeeding. We will continue to urge caution that formula price promotions will never be appropriate due to the potential associated risks, especially to the most vulnerable families, and are not a credible solution to high prices, where companies have maintained high profit margins. Lastly, the recommendations from the CMA need to be accompanied by proportionate action to ensure universal access to breastfeeding for mothers who want to breastfeed as well as improvements to the Healthy Start scheme to support pregnant women, breastfeeding women, babies, and young children to meet their nutritional needs.