Parallel traders hoarding milk formula
Hundreds of tins of milk stashed at warehouse in Sheung Shui as angry local mothers complain
Parallel traders from the mainland are hoarding hundreds of tins of infant milk formula in the city as local parents struggle to buy supplies for their children.
A South China Morning Post investigation has found hundreds of boxes containing various brands of formula stored at the Advanced Technology Centre in Sheung Shui.
The building is a 10-minute walk from the MTR station and a favourite staging point for parallel traders, who are tryng to avoid paying hefty mainland taxes on goods by couriering the products across the border.
Milk formula brands that were scarce in North District pharmacies and supermarkets, such as Mead Johnson and Friso, could easily be found in the centre among stacks of boxes of food. The tins are taken to the centre in carts and trolleys and then repacked by the traders before they headed to the MTR station to take the short journey to the border checkpoint.
As shortages of certain brands of formula emerged this week, apparently because of mainland tourists' pre-Lunar New Year shopping sprees, the city's health minister yesterday warned retailers not to stockpile or sharply raise the price of formula.
"Hong Kong scrambles for milk formula", Video by Hedy Bok
"I urge retailers and pharmacies not to take advantage of current circumstances, as it would affect the interests of Hong Kong as a whole," Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man said on RTHK radio.