Tue, May 08 2007

Baby formula locked up like expensive liquor

I was with my spouse in the grocery store last Friday and he called my attention to the strange display in the aisle that has the baby products. There were only a few cans of baby formula on the shelf and the ones that were there had some sort of anti-theft device attached to them. He picked one up and said that he knew it was expensive to raise kids, but that he hadn't realized formula was such an enticement to shoplifters.

It didn't dawn on me until later that I recalled some issues a couple of years ago with people stealing infant formula for using to cut illegal drugs and also to repackage and sell to small stores for a lesser amount than the store would generally be paying on the wholesale market. I hadn't heard much about the whole issue lately, but I've learned that the black market for baby formula is still very active, with whole theft rings in operation. Whether thieves are desperate parents trying to feed their children or greedy crooks eager to make a profit on reselling the formula, the end result seems to be less formula on the store shelves and more formula behind the counter where you have to ask for it in order to make a legitimate purchase.

posted at: 13:10 | category: /Food | link to this entry