April 9, 2013

Retailers in the UK are controlling the sales of powdered baby milk, due to increased demand for baby milk imports in China.

Danone, the manufacturer of Aptamil and Cow and Gate baby milk powder, said most supermarkets were introducing a restriction of two cans per customer.

It said the limit was to prevent some individuals from bulk-buying baby milk for "unofficial exports".

Retailers said they were also capping sales of Nestle's SMA formula milks.

"We understand that the increased demand is being fuelled by unofficial exports to China to satisfy the needs of parents who want Western brands for their babies," said Danone in a statement.

Supermarkets Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons said they have limited purchases to two units per customer of powdered baby milk brands, including Aptamil, Cow and Gate, SMA and HiPP organic milk formula.

Danone said it was responding to the shortfall in the UK, including increasing milk production, which means extra supplies of all its brands will arriving weekly.

Danone is also increasing production and supplies of its brands that are already available in China, in order to meet demand.

Foreign-made baby formula are popular in China, especially after a locally manufactured formula, which was laced with the industrial chemical, melamine, had killed six infants in 2008 and caused another 300,000 to fall ill.