Grocery chain ALDI is freezing the price of baby formula amid growing anxiety surrounding the rising costs of food in the United Kingdom. However, American customers have questions.
Why did ALDI freeze baby formula prices in the U.K.?
ALDI pledges to halt any price hikes on its baby formula through the end of 2025 as part of an initiative to support parents in the U.K. Besides freezing prices, ALDI also launched the Mamia New Parent Fund, which gives £100 weekly vouchers to new parents.
The formula costs just £6.99, which is around half the cost of other popular formula brands.
“Shoppers should not be paying over the odds for the essentials,” Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at ALDI UK, said. “As formula prices remain at historic highs across the market, we want to reassure parents that at ALDI, there will be no unwelcome surprises at the checkout.”
American customers have questions
There are nearly 2,500 ALDI locations in the United States. However, frequent shoppers have noticed that baby products are often absent from the shelves.
On Reddit, one parent asked about the $15 formula they used to purchase from ALDI. A commenter noted that ALDI’s baby formula, Mamia, was discontinued in the United States.
The poster added that they now have to spend nearly double the cost for baby formula following the discontinuation.
Another American shopper noticed that ALDI’s puff snacks and diapers have seemingly gone missing.
“What happened to all their baby products? Their prices were so good on the formula and diapers. Pampers are expensive!” they wrote on Reddit. Others commented that the retailer has discontinued many of its inexpensive baby products in the United States.
“Everything in that section is being whittled down to not as many products for whatever reason,” one remarked.
Baby formula experiences some of the highest inflation rates of any product
The price of baby formula increased 8.7% from 2023 to 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.
This increase came in the aftermath of the 2022 baby formula shortage. Baby formula producer Abbott Nutrition halted production at one facility for four months over concerns of bacterial contamination. It also recalled several brands of powdered formula after multiple infant hospitalizations.
As a result of both rising costs and the shortage, many parents have struggled to access baby formula in the U.S. It is currently unclear whether or not ALDI plans a similar price halt in its U.S. branches, but the Daily Dot has reached out to ALDI U.S. for more information.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
