The national baby formula epidemic is at an all time high and it’s expected to only get worse as demand for the product is surging in Asia.
Thousands have flocked to a Singapore baby expo where the star product of the event is Australian brand baby formula.
From chaotic scenes in supermarkets to arrests from members of an organised crime syndicate – the baby formula epidemic has taken the country by storm since 2008.
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Thousands have flocked to a Singapore baby expo (pictured) where the star product of the event is Australian brand baby formula
From chaotic scenes in supermarkets to arrests from members of an organised crime syndicate – the baby formula epidemic has taken the country by storm since 2008 (pictured: a warehouse in Australia full of baby formula ready to go overseas)
A Current Affair travelled to Singapore, where a baby expo had the product heavily available for new and expecting mothers.
Expecting mother Jen said the product is highly desirable because there’s a perception Australia produces high quality products.
‘I would think Australian quality is really… I mean it’s just unquestionable,’ Jen said.
New mother Natalie said she’s never short of baby formula and even has friends who travel to Australia for all types of baby products.
‘We don’t have to go all the way to Australia to… you know, get it,’ Natalie said.
The obsession with Australian made baby formula is growing in Asia, with many grateful they don’t have to travel overseas to purchase it themselves.
Australian mothers have had to change the brand they use for their babies multiple times as the product has continually gone out of stock.
Some people have also travelled to multiple stores in desperate attempts to find formula to give their baby.
Expecting mother Jen (pictured) said the product is highly desirable because there’s a perception Australia produces high quality products
Demand for the product has surged amid the massive growth in daigou shopping – a method where people buy products and re-sell them for an inflated price overseas.
Mothers have complained about struggling to get hold of baby formula for months as people are continuing to buy it in bulk.
It comes after recent reports of more than 30 people sneakily buying the product from Woolworths in The Glen shopping in Glen Waverley, Victoria.
A father filmed the group rushing in and out of the store with bags full of baby formula, despite the supermarket having a two tin limit.
Simon Dennis watched what he described as an ‘international baby powder buying syndicate’ and told Daily Mail Australia he believed he saw at least ’80 to 100′ tubs taken out of Woolworths.
Demand for the product has surged amid the massive growth in daigou shopping – a method where people buy products and re-sell them for an inflated price overseas (stock image)
Supermarkets around the country were forced to implement strict restrictions on how many tins of formula customers could buy at a time
Coles has recently revealed drastic measures it’s taking to stop customers from stocking up on the highly wanted product.
Those wanting to buy the product were left with empty shells and a message – that baby formula is now available at the customer service desk.
A Coles in Sydney’s north also resorted to setting up security cameras and TV screens over shelves of baby formula in an attempt to slow down frenzied shoppers.
Supermarkets around the country were forced to implement strict restrictions on how many tins of formula customers could buy at a time. Woolworths limits patrons to two tins per transaction while Coles’ policy is eight tins.
Demand for Australian baby formula is at an all-time high after new research revealed tins sell for as much as $80 to desperate Chinese mothers.
Coles has revealed the drastic measures it’s taken to stop customers from stocking up on baby formula and selling it overseas
Customers who fronted the store this week hoping to snag multiple tins of the product were greeted with empty shelves – along with a message (pictured)
The mass exportation of the manufactured baby product is a result of approximately 54,000 Chinese babies being hospitalised in 2008 due to contaminated local formula.
Videos of customers of Asian appearance lining up with boxes full of the formula have gone viral online, leading some to question whether the policy is even enforced.
Dozens of Woolworths shoppers were filmed jumping over one another in a desperate bid to get their hands on baby formula in early January.
The aisles at Woolworths in Box Hill, in Melbourne’s east, resembled mosh pits as 30 Asian shoppers tried to push their way to the front of the line.
Footage showed a woman and an elderly man being pushed to the floor as customers scrambled to get to the shelves before the product sold out.
Demand for Australian baby formula is at an all-time high after new research revealed tins sell for as much as $80 to desperate Chinese mothers