Desperate mum forced to pay $150 for can of baby formula

Australia’s formula crisis is getting worse, with calls for the government to step in after major supermarkets struggle to control the problem.

Some parents are being forced to travel to up to 30 different stores to locate food for their babies, according to a report from Nine News.

Louise Nish, a mum of two, says that in desperation she was forced to buy a tin of formula from Gumtree, which cost her a whopping $150.

“I would just drive around to different grocery stores, department stores, but I was struggling especially with two kids with me as well,” she said.

The Perth mum then started calling around, sometimes ringing 40 or 50 stores at one time in the search for formula.

The A2 brand she feeds her son and daughter is highly sought-after by scalpers.

“I did have to buy off Gumtree. I had to pay $150 for a tin to feed my son. I didn't want to but I had no choice. I was down to two bottles,” she said.

When she arrived at the home to pick up the formula, then were tins of formula everywhere.

Coles and Woolworths have placed limits on the number of tins that can be purchased at any one time, just two cans per customer. However, smaller shops and chemists do not have similar limits in place.

Video taken from inside one Perth chemist shows a long line of customers, each with their baskets piled with formula.

Exporting dairy products over 10kg requires a permit according to the Department of Agriculture, with anyone breaking the law risking 12 months jail time.

Ms Nish says that more needs to be done to stop formula being purchased for the express reason of profiting from it and shipping it overseas.