More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Nationwide shortages of two types of baby milk is leaving parents worried as shops and supermarkets begin selling out.
Families are struggling to track down ready-made Aptamil and Cow & Gate infant milk.
The cartons and bottles come with the milk already mixed - rather than parents needing to make up their child's milk using powdered formula and water.
The ready-made milk is often particularly helpful for parents feeding during the night or who are away from home and who don't always have the necessary sterile conditions to make up and then keep fresh their baby's feeds.
Boots online has sold out of both its Aptamil ranges of liquid formula milk for babies aged six to 12 months and Cow & Gate formula liquid whilst supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury's also have either low or completely empty shelves whilst the products are proving equally difficult to track down online for home delivery shopping orders.
Anxious parents have taken to social media pages to express their concern and frustration at not being able to track down the milk their baby is used to.
One wrote on Cow & Gate's UK facebook page: "I’ve not been able to get hold of any ready made milks. Could you let me know if there is a supply problem?"
Whilst another added: "Is there a shortage of the ready milk? I have been trying to get hold of the large bottles for days now and having no luck. Can you please advise as I find it pretty poor."
Among the parents to have expressed their concern at the shortage is chart-topping singer and mother-of-two Paloma Faith.
In a tweet to her 563,000 followers she said she'd tried branches of Asda and Boots in London in search of the ready-to-drink formula to 'no avail'.
The tweet generated a number of replies from parents experiencing similar issues while others suggested she try smaller chemists and shops in the capital rather than the large supermarkets where shelves are more likely to be bare.
The nationwide shortage from both brands, which is owned by parent company Danone, is being caused by an issue with an ingredient used to prevent foaming during the production of the liquid formula.
In a response to comments on its facebook page from worried parents asking where they could track down the milk, Cow & Gate said: "We are currently experiencing low availability on our liquid formula products.
"We fully appreciate that the low availability of these products is unsettling and frustrating for parents and we are very sorry for this.
"We are working hard to get products back onto shelves as soon as possible and we will provide up dates as soon as we can."
The company added that its powdered milks, which are readily available at major retailers and through its online shop, can be substituted for the liquid milk which is currently in short supply.
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