Psst, want to earn money as a milk mule?
May 25, 2013 - 10:38pm
By: Maureen Koh
TNP PICTURE ILLUSTRATION: Gary Goh
This white powder is in great demand.
People here are being asked to become mules to take it to China in their luggage.
It’s not drugs, it’s milk powder.
Parents in China are fuelling a demand for foreign-manufactured formula. This demand has been high since 2008 when 300,000 children fell ill and several died in a melamine-tainted milk scandal. China’s growing middle class means there are consumers ready and willing to pay a premium for the baby milk formula, especially since supply from Hong Kong has dried up.
Singaporeans and residents admit that they are shipping tins to their family and friends there.
And there are some who are becoming mules for milk powder, travelling with formula in their bags to make some money. Mr Dickson Huang and eight family members each made about $150 last month when they returned to their family’s hometown for the Qingming Festival.
Read the full report in The New Paper on Sunday (May 26).
