'I'm down to my last box': London mom says affordable baby formula options are dwindling

A London mom says it's getting harder to find affordable baby formula that works for her six month old daughter.

"This week, I'm down to my last box," said Victoria Trglavcnik, a new mother struggling to find generic brand newborn formula that fit her price range. The shortage led her to scouring local stores for stock and to reach out to other mothers also having a hard time.

"Everybody's calling and trying to share information online when possible. People are looking, people are calling and people are stressed about it," Trglavcnik said.

Generic-brand formula has been harder to come by since September, Trglavcnik said. A handful of the cheaper brands can still be found at various big box stores.

But without the cheaper alternatives, parents would be forced to spend two to three times their usual price, or switch brands that could contain different ingredients, Trglavcnik said.

"This is still food. Why is it a product that has such a range when it's supposedly the same thing," she said.

Generic brand formulas provide nutrients for newborns who need dairy, but are allergic to certain proteins in natural milk.

Across Canada, supplies for hypoallergenic baby formula have also been dwindling due to shortages in the U.S. Supply chain issues and panic buying have also left mothers in London scrambling in online parenting communities for options, Trglavcnik said.

For months, shelves in London's pharmacies have been emptier than usual. A few times a week, Trglavcnik calls stores, including a Costco in Hamilton. Often, they can't tell her when another shipment of generic brand formula would come.

"There continues to be a national shortage of specialized infant formulas for infants with food allergies and certain medical conditions. This includes extensively hydrolyzed formulas and amino acid-based formulas," Health Canada confirmed in a statement to CBC News.

"There is no shortage of regular infant formula in Canada," they added.

Despite seeing at least one or two boxes of generic brand formula in stores, parents are still feeling frustrated at the sight of empty shelves, Trglavcnik said. She plans to get in touch with local MPs and MPPs about the growing situation mothers like herself are going through.

"I'm not the only one in London, and definitely not the only one in Canada," she added.