A baby drinks milk in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 2, 2010
Local supermarkets in the U.K. have begun limiting sales on how much baby milk powder can be purchased in store, in response to fears that the powder is being illegally exported to China.
In stores like Tesco and Sainsbury’s, customers will be limited to buying two units of baby formula per day. Retailers and manufacturers alike are hoping that the impact will be minimal for local residents who are buying it for their children.
(MORE: Mainland Chinese Traders Milking Hong Kong for All Its Worth)
Danone, which manufactures several well-known infant formulas, told the BBC, “We understand that the increased demand is being fueled by unofficial exports to China to satisfy the needs of parents who want Western brands for their babies.” To meet demand, Danone has promised to increase production in both China and the U.K.
‘We would like to apologize to parents for any inconvenience caused by this limit,” they added.
The Chinese demand for foreign baby formula has been surging ever since a massive scandal involving locally produced formula in 2008. A local Chinese manufacturer was found to have added melamine — a chemical resin used in plastics manufacturing that is known to cause renal and urinary problems — into baby milk powder. As a result, at least six babies died while approximately 300,000 other infants became ill.
(MORE: Tainted Baby-Milk Scandal in China)
The health scare has caused scores of Chinese parents to attempt to purchase milk powder abroad, in an effort to secure an untainted supply.
On Monday, five people attempting to smuggle formula were arrested in Hong Kong. The former British colony prohibits visitors from taking back more than 4 lb. of baby formula back to mainland China. The surge in demand has left Hong Kong with chronic shortages.
Australia also faced similar shortages earlier this year, and was also forced to impose restrictions on Chinese tourists buying infant formula in bulk.