A MAJOR supermarket has locked up £13 baby formula boxes to deter thieves.
Shocked customers have slammed the giant retailer for caging the most-needed items in a shoplifting crackdown.
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A Tesco branch in Birmingham has gone to extreme lengths to keep thieves away from nabbing baby formula.
Parents flocking to the Swan Island in Yardley have spotted boxes placed in mesh metal bags and locked behind huge tags.
Snaps show the Aptamil brand selling between £13.50 and £18 inside the cages.
One shopper said on X, formerly Twitter: “This is possibly one of the saddest things I’ve seen in my local Tesco. Baby formula being security alarmed to prevent theft.”
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The giant supermarket said the practice of protecting certain items from thieves has been in place for many years.
But some shoppers have slammed the move “disgusting”.
Taking to Facebook, one user said: “I would absolutely hate being a new parent this day in age. That is abhorrent.”
Another said: “We need to stop blaming the mothers that can’t afford it and start asking what can be done so they can.
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“Basic things like this should be accessible across the board.”
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A third penned: “This is awful I don’t condone shoplifting but if you are stealing baby formula you must be in a desperate situation.”
But this is not the only time Tesco resorts to anti-shoplifting techniques.
Many customers said the measures have also arrived to their local stores.
One user admitted: “It has been like that in Walsall for sometime.”
It comes as the cost of baby formula milk soared in recent years with brands increasing prices by more than 25 per cent.
Struggling families slammed the supermarket for selling the needed items for “extortionate” prices.
A user fumed: “That’s absolutely shocking. Aptamil was £9 when I had my babies! It’s doubled! My youngest is almost 8, I can’t believe it’s risen that much.”
Another added: “Aptamil was a tenner in 2001. I can’t believe the prices now. All just for feeding your child.”
Tesco and Aptamil UK have been contacted for comment.
In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, some chains have taken further steps to prevent theft including tags, displaying empty boxes, and placing expensive items behind the counter.
Sainsbury’s and Co-op had also placed security tags on formula products.
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Similar anti-theft measures have also been placed on cheap Bic biros and pencils.
And a pack of four Andrex toilet rolls, costing £3.75, were spotted with security tags recently at a Tesco Express in South London.
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