Govt to determine baby milk prices

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has revealed that government agencies are taking action to control the baby milk formula market following complaints of successive price hikes, according to a source inside the Ministry.
The cost of a 400-gram pack of formula costs about SR 42.
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) will be tasked with pricing the formula. Prices will depend on the formula’s ingredients and purity, with more than 20 types of milk available across the country.
Khalid Mirghalani, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said that milk would be treated commercially according to the Commerce Ministry’s system.
The general supervisor of pharmaceuticals in the Eastern Province, Hossam Sabri, said that a small 400-gram pack lasts only three days. He said an infant needs at least 10 packs a month.
Sabri said the rise in prices are due to pharmacies receiving instructions from agents and importers to raise prices every month. “But these increases have reached unaccepted levels, so a government body must intervene to control them.”
Most products are of foreign origin, with Saudi firms getting the franchise to market and sell them at outlets throughout the country.
“It is of the utmost importance that a real national industry be built for manufacturing milk in the Kingdom to control prices and protect our children,” said Sabri. He said the increasing number of newborns requires agencies to be more diligent in providing strict supervision on ingredients and prices.
He expressed fears of further price increases of most commodities, including baby milk, due to the decision of the Ministry of Labor to boost Saudization and the related Nitaqat program.
“Prices of baby milk have doubled during the last three years,” he said, adding that importers should be committed to set up a fixed price of the milk that is already subsidized by the state, with a defined profit margin for all parties involved and leaving no room for manipulations.