中國"雙十一"奶粉搶購致澳洲人買不到好奶粉

Watching your products fly off the shelves is not usually regarded as a problem by most companies. But for the Australian maker of a popular baby milk powder, demand from China is resulting in shortages on domestic shelves and anger among loyal customers.

對於大多數公司而言，貨架上的商品被一搶而空通常並不算什麼問題。但對澳洲優質嬰兒奶粉生產商貝拉米而言，中國的大量需求已經造成了澳大利亞本國嬰兒奶粉短缺。此事也引起了當地消費者的不滿。

A surge in sales ahead of China's online discount shopping day, Single's Day, which falls on Wednesday, has worsened the problem.

中國網購狂歡節“雙11”到來之前，網上就迎來了嬰兒奶粉搶購狂潮，雖然在11月11日當天，銷售量有所回落，也未能阻止嬰兒奶粉短缺問題的惡化。

Bellamy's Australia has now apologised to its customers, many of whom have been unable to find cans of formula in their local supermarket.

很多消費者已在當地的超市裏買不到貝拉米嬰兒配方奶粉了，澳洲貝拉米公司也已對此事向消費者致歉。

The Tasmania-based company, which makes Australia's only certified organic infant formula, blamed "unprecedented demand" for its products last month.

總部設在塔斯馬尼亞的貝拉米公司是澳洲唯一一家有保證的生產有機幼兒奶粉的公司。貝拉米公司將嬰兒奶粉短缺歸咎於上個月需求量的猛增。

Following angry comments from customers, Bellamy's said on its Facebook page that "purchases of products solely for the practice of on‐selling in overseas markets has led to limited stocks of [its] products on the shelves of Australian retailers".

在消費者的一片憤怒聲中，貝拉米在其臉譜（Facebook）頁面中宣佈“單純爲銷往海外市場的購買行爲已經導致澳大利亞零售商嬰兒奶粉庫存捉襟見肘。”

The popularity of foreign baby milk products has prompted some Chinese people in Australia to snap up cans to resell to Chinese buyers.

國外嬰兒奶製品在中國的流行促使很多在澳大利亞的中國人在當地搶購奶粉再代銷給中國買家。

'No control'

“無法控制”

While a can of Bellamy's infant formula costs about A$20 in Australia (9.33, $14.10), it can sell for as much as four times that amount in China.

一罐貝拉米嬰兒配方奶粉在澳大利亞的售價約爲20澳元（約合9.33英鎊，14.10美元）， 而在中國的售價將會翻4倍。

"It's a fact that our brand is also very popular in China," Bellamy's said. "As a result some people like to buy our product here from Australian retailers and on‐sell it to China. We do not condone this activity but we have no control over what happens to our stock once we have delivered it to our retailers," it added.

“我們的商品在中國確實很有名氣。” 貝拉米公司稱，“這就導致很多人喜歡從澳大利亞零售商中購得我們的產品再代銷到中國。 我們不支持這種行爲， 但是一旦我們將商品發給零售商，就無法控制庫存了。”

Australian consumer rights group Choice has been told that some people who buy large amounts of formula made by companies such as Bellamy's sell them on sites such as Taobao, a Chinese auction platform similar to eBay.

澳大利亞消費者權益組織已經得知有些人大量購買像貝拉米等大牌生產商生產的配方奶粉在淘寶（一家類似易趣的中國競買平臺）等網上平臺上銷售。

Imported baby milk powder has been the preferred product in China since a deadly tainted milk scandal in 2008 when at least six children died and some 300,000 fell ill after consuming milk products contaminated by melamine.

自2008年食用含有三聚氰胺的有毒奶粉致6名兒童死亡、超30萬名兒童患病的事件曝光後，中國消費者便對進口嬰幼兒奶粉偏愛有加。

Bellamy's said that some retailers have limited purchases to two tins per customer, but that demand remained strong and "shelves are soon stripped".

貝拉米公司稱部分零售商已經規定每名消費者一次限購兩罐奶粉，但是需求量仍居高不下， 商品依然會在短時間內被搶購一空。

"We are doing everything possible to increase production as rapidly as we can, but this takes some time," the company added.

“我們在儘可能快地增加生產量，但仍供不應求。”公司補充說。

As well as China, its products are also sold in Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Singapore.

除了中國內地，該公司的產品還銷往香港、馬拉西亞、新西蘭、越南和新加坡。

Online sales of Bellamy's are being restricted to three tins a fortnight for customers with addresses in Australia and New Zealand.

貝拉美在線銷售規定居住在澳大利亞或新西蘭的消費者兩週內限購3罐奶粉。

It expects stocks to improve from late November.

公司期待從11月下旬起，庫存能有所提高。