Iceland boss Richard Walker is celebrating the success of an “urgent” online petition calling on the government to allow UK families to spend store points and gift cards on infant formula.
Created last July by formula campaign group Feed, the petition has hit more than 100,000 signatures and will now be debated in parliament as part of a call to review formula legislation.
The ‘Formula For Change’ campaign urges the government to ‘give retailers the green light’ to accept loyalty points, grocery vouchers and store gift cards, which are often provided by foodbanks and local authorities, as payment for infant formula.
Walker took to Twitter to celebrate the milestone, thanking signatories for bringing the petition to parliament’s attention.
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His post read: “BOOM – we got it to 100,000 signatures! An amazing team effort & bloody brilliant this urgent issue will now be debated in parliament.”
Walker began supporting the campaign last year, adding that it was about aiding “the choices of UK parents as they navigate the cost-of-living crisis”.
The Iceland boss said at the time: “We want the law to change so that retailers can help families feed their children. At Iceland we’ve already cut prices on formula, and by promoting this have defied regulations and attracted complaints.
BOOM – we got it to 100,000 signatures! An amazing team effort & bloody brilliant this urgent issue will now be debated in parliament. https://t.co/7Gyn06EjvH pic.twitter.com/GLqkt5xepn
— Richard Walker (@icelandrichard) March 1, 2024
“The government needs to show it is doing all it can to help people in the UK, and support retailers like us so that we can do our part without reprisals.”
It is not the first time the family-owned business has campaigned for a change in laws around the pricing and advertising regulations around infant formula.
Last year Iceland became the first major supermarket in the UK to slash the price of its baby formula amid Walker labelling current prices an “exploitation” of struggling families.
Following a later investigation by the CMA, it was found that several leading infant formula brands were increasing the prices of their products faster than costs were rising, leading to the watchdog launching a new market study.
