Baby formula: Raiders empty supermarket shelves to cash in on demand from China

Although each of them adhered to Woolworths’ four-tin limit, the Burwood mother who took this picture said it was obvious they were working as a team to buy as many tins as possible.

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A GROUP of shoppers seen pictured apparently working together to buy up large numbers of baby formula tins at a Sydney supermarket amid widespread concerns that the highly sought-after cans are being bought up in bulk and shipped overseas for profit.

Four people — three men and a woman — were photographed at the Woolworths store at Westfield Shopping Centre at Burwood in Sydney’s inner west last week purchasing up to 16 cans of formula between them.

Although it’s believed each of them adhered to the store’s four-tin limit, the local mother who took this exclusive picture for The Daily Telegraph said it was obvious they were working as a team to buy as many tins as possible.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said the group came into the store together, then split up to pay at different check-out counters, before regrouping once they had paid for the items.

When she questioned them, she was told the tins were for “their baby”.

“They knew exactly what they wanted,” the woman said. “They did take the limit but they were acting in groups so they could take all the stock at once.

A “baby formula gang” in action in Woolworths at Westfield Burwood.

“Why else would a group of three men and one woman go in there altogether?’’

It follows an incident last month where a shopper was photographed bulk-buying an entire pallet of baby ­formula at a Woolworths store in Victoria. The incident caused fury among mothers across the country, who have been caught in the crossfire of a nationwide baby formula shortage.

The practice of bulk-­buying and shipping the tins overseas has caused the ­prices of some products to skyrocket in store and online, with some brands now being sold on eBay for as much as $150 a tin.

Aussie-made formula is in huge demand in Asia.

The country’s only organic baby formula brand, Bellamy’s Australia, lifted its recommended retail price for 900g Step 3 toddler milk drink by $6.50 late last month — a hike of 33 per cent — following “unprecedented demand”.

It comes amid widespread concerns shoppers are ­buying up tins of formula in bulk and sending them to family members across Asia, after local milk and infant formulas in China were contaminated with melamine.

The 2008 incident affected 300,0000 people, including 54,000 who were hospitalised and six babies who died.

Since then, several major Australian supermarkets and pharmacies have enforced restrictions on the number of tins of formula a customer can purchase in a bid to stop onselling.

A spokesman for ­Woolworths declined to ­comment on the individual incident but sent The Daily Telegraph a statement that was circulated last month claiming the company had recently reduced their limits on purchases of baby formula from eight tins to four.

“We have also been working with suppliers to increase supply of these products where this is needed,” the statement said.

“We believe this new limit along with increased supply will make it easier for ­customers to get the ­products they need.”

OH BABY, THAT’S TOO RICH FOR ME

Neil Keene

Emma Wilson with daughter Henley. Picture: Kristi Miller

THE high price of baby formula was one of the key reasons Sydney mum Emma Wilson weaned her daughter off it as soon as she could.

Ms Wilson said yesterday she started feeding daughter Henley formula aged six months, once she returned to work part-time.

But, at more than $20 a tin, she switched to cow’s milk as soon as Henley turned one.

“It went from being on sale very often — it used to be about $19 a tin or you’d get two for $35 — to consistently being about $25 a tin and never on sale,” she said.

“Some of the ladies in my mums’ group are buying a tin a week, and when you’re a stay-at-home mum that’s a lot of money.”

Ms Wilson said she had done research prior to switching Henley, now aged 14 months, to full-cream milk to ensure it was safe to do so.