THE Dutch government has ordered an investigation into persistent shortages of certain brands of baby formula, blamed on networks of traffickers who ship milk powder to China where it is sold at premium prices.
Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Sharon Dijksma ordered the Dutch Food and Consumer watchdog to probe a huge rise in demand for baby formula linked to so-called "baby milk runners", who bulk-buy powder in shops before sending it to China where it is resold to young parents fearful of local products.
"I want to gather information... over the bulk buying and trade in the Netherlands in order to inform Chinese authorities that they are getting batches of milk powder that do not conform to their regulations," Dijksma said in the statement.
There is growing concern in The Netherlands, one of Europe's leading diary producers, about a looming national shortage of infant formula, with local papers quoting shoppers saying at least two popular brands were almost impossible to find on shop shelves.
"Dutch consumers can still find baby formula, but it's getting harder and harder," Dutch Food Industry Federation (FNLI) director Philip den Ouden told AFP.
The FNLI and food retail representatives met on Monday to discuss the growing concern over shortages, saying a measure to merely restrict the number of tins of formula per customer was not enough.
Alarm bells over infant formula went off earlier this year when retailers saw a 50 per cent spike in sales figures from the last quarter of 2012, said Den Ouden.
"This was strange because the number of births in the Netherlands did not go up," he said.
An initial probe showed growing demand in China, largely driven by the memories of a 2008 scandal over Chinese formula tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, which left six children dead and affected more than 300,000 others.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Dutch probe baby milk sales to China
Dengan url
http://tikusinternet.blogspot.com/2013/05/dutch-probe-baby-milk-sales-to-china.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Dutch probe baby milk sales to China
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Dutch probe baby milk sales to China
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar