Italy, the country with one of the lowest birth rates in the world, has the most expensive baby milk powder in Europe . (1 Kg of Nestles milk powder costs 32 in Milan and 16,60 in Berlin). It is so expensive that the minister of health, Girolamo Sircia, has asked for a report.

Nestl Italia which produces 20 per cent of the baby milk on the Italian market claims that more Italian mothers breast feed their babies than their European counterparts and therefore the cost of marketing a smaller amount of their product renders it more expensive.

Research shows however, that only four per cent of Italian babies are being breast fed when they reach six months of age.