Cassandra Shedden, a 33-year-old mother of three from Thunder Bay, Ontario, has faced the challenge of struggling to afford baby formula. She describes the current prices of formula as exorbitant. Statistics Canada reports an 84% increase in formula prices since 2017, with a 30% rise in just the past two years.
Shedden shared her experience of balancing bills and feeding her children, sometimes resorting to searching her home for items to sell. To ensure her baby has enough formula and her children are fed, Shedden makes extra income by driving for a delivery service or topping up her Ontario Disability Support Program funds.
Her six-month-old daughter, Charlotte, requires specialized formula due to weight gain issues, costing Shedden between $90 to $120 per week, even for the cheapest brand available. Shedden expressed feelings of failure during desperate times when she struggles to find extra money for her children.
Social media groups in Thunder Bay reflect similar stories of parents seeking formula assistance, relying on benefits like the Canada Child Benefit to purchase even one can of formula. Lisa Ierullo, an administrator of a local Facebook group, has received pleas for formula aid, with some mothers reaching out for immediate financial help late at night.
Lesley Frank, a Canada Research Chair at Acadia University, has been researching baby formula accessibility issues for almost two decades. She noted a rise in online requests for formula assistance across Canada, describing the situation as “foraging for formula online and making pleas of desperation.”
Frank highlighted the challenges faced by parents, including resorting to purchasing opened cans of formula out of desperation due to limited options. She suggested increasing the Canada child benefit and implementing food entitlements for breastfeeding mothers and young children under four years old to alleviate the burden of purchasing formula.
To address the issue, Frank proposed the need for more domestic formula production in Canada to reduce dependency on the U.S. market, emphasizing the importance of securing the supply chain to prevent disruptions. She recommended potential government interventions, such as nationalizing production, to ensure a stable supply of formula for Canadian families.