Chinese tourists clearing Australian shelves of baby milk powders

Source: Morning Whistle by Kang Xiaoxiao

Baby milk powders have been sold out at Australian supermarkets and pharmacies since Jan. 3, which local media report to be caused by increasing Chinese tourists.

Nutricia, a supplier for famous Australian milk powder brand Karicare said that the demand for its milk powder rocketed so suddenly that there is no inventory on shelves at the moment, reported BBC.

At the same time, limited purchasing ordering is conducted in many pharmacies selling baby milk powders.

According to report from Australian media, it’s Chinese residents and tourists that are buying local baby milk powders en mass and then mailing them back to China or selling on the Internet for a high profit. “Chinese tourists filled their packages with baby milk powders,” said a manager of a pharmacy in center Sydney.

Chinese milk powders have suffered from safety problems these years since melamine was found in milk powders in 2008 causing at least 6 deaths and over 300,000 cases of illness in Chinese babies. At the moment, large numbers of Chinese people prefer milk powders from Australia and New Zealand due to the safety worries, said spokesman of Nutricia.

Nutricia didn’t give any comments on the suddenly increasing milk powder demands, but announced it would raise the company’s milk powder production capacity by 50 percent in the future 12 months as their products are quite welcomed in China and other Asian countries.