Baby formula access assured

International food company Danone insists New Zealand babies won’t go hungry, as demand for high-quality baby formula peaks following a safety crackdown in China.

It comes as long queues formed outside some Australian stores as people bulk-bought formula tins to send to Chinese buyers – often for substantial profit.

In the United States, Walmart has installed cameras in the formula aisle to discourage shoplifting of what has become a precious commodity.

Other overseas retailers have also put formula behind locked glass cabinets, as well as introducing sales restrictions to control supply.

A safety overhaul in China saw about 1400 baby formula products pulled from store shelves last month, giving international brands the opportunity to grab a greater market share, Bloomberg reported.

French food giant Danone, which produces the Aptamil and Karicare brands, was among the companies set to capitalise on the Chinese crackdown.

While it acknowledged Chinese demand was ‘‘growing’’ and some Australians were experiencing ‘‘difficulty’’ sourcing its product, Danone assured New Zealand families they would have adequate supply.

‘‘We have taken strategic steps to enable us to meet the growing Asia Pacific market, as well as maintain a continuous supply for New Zealand and Australian families,’’ Danone Oceania general secretary Ailish Hanley said.

Danone said its formula was ‘‘always available’’ to Kiwi consumers on its retail website however customers were restricted to buying six tins a fortnight.

Countdown supermarkets also have a six-tin limit on buying baby formula – both online and in-store – a measure which has been in place for about three years.

‘‘Our number one priority is to ensure our shelves are wellstocked for our customers here in New Zealand.

‘‘New Zealand-made baby formula has become very popular in some overseas markets in recent years, particularly in China. This is due to the trust international customers have in the quality and safety of New Zealand-made goods,’’ a Countdown spokeswoman said.

At present, there are 15 New Zealand manufacturers exporting formula to China.

Synlait, Fonterra and Yashili were among the first to have their recipes registered with China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) – a regulation introduced last month.

A Ministry for Primary Industries spokeswoman said demand was increasing as new companies moved into higher-value products, and existing companies continued to grow their businesses.

MPI works with CFDA to help Kiwi companies register their products in what is a lucrative market for exporters – in the year to December 2017, Kiwi infant milk formula exports to China were valued at more than $423 million.

‘‘MPI’s role is to provide guidance to companies as they go through the [Chinese registration] process.

‘‘We have a well-established relationship with CFDA and work together through cooperation programmes to better understand each other’s regulatory requirements,’’ a spokeswoman said.

In 2008, six babies died and 300,000 were affected when baby formula produced in China by Sanlu – a company Fonterra had a stake in – had sold product contaminated with melamine.

An international arbitration tribunal ordered the dairy cooperative to pay Danone $183m in damages following the precautionary recall of whey protein in August 2013.