SINGAPORE: A new locally made brand of milk powder, costing less than S$40 a tin, was launched on Tuesday (May 30), amid public concern over the rising prices of formula milk.
The made-in-Singapore formula, Einmilk, is owned by local company AE Solution and manufactured here by SMC Nutrition.
Separately, supermarket chain FairPrice is exploring ways to bring in more formula milk products, as well as developing its own house-brand milk powder, a spokesman told Channel NewsAsia.
The developments come about a week after the Government formed a taskforce to address the rising prices of formula milk in Singapore.
LEVERAGING THE SINGAPORE BRAND
Einmilk business director Chan Yong Chye said that his company wants to leverage the Singapore brand and produce the item locally, which it hopes can soften price inflation.
He added there are also plans to export the product to other Southeast Asian countries within the next three years.
File photo of Singapore-made milk powder Einmilk. (Photo: Elizabeth Neo)
Einmilk costs between S$19 and S$22 for a 400g tin and between S$33 and S$39 for an 800g tin. There are four formulations for the different stages of a child’s development, including a lactose-free version.
The brand is currently available at U Stars supermarkets.
Mr Chan said that the supermarket chain was chosen because of its accessibility to Singaporeans. “Most of their stores are in the heartland area, where most of our Singapore consumers are residing in. So that puts us in a good position to be close to our customers,” he said.
He added that there are plans to expand sales to more local retailers in the coming months. “We are open for further discussion with all the key retailers. The most important thing is the Singaporean consumer actually buy the idea of a Singapore-made infant milk product. If this idea can be taken by the Singapore consumer, I think eventually we will have more points of sales for our Einmilk products.”
Einmilk is also available online on Shopify and Facebook.
Only its Stage 2 (six to 12 months), Stage 3 (toddlers and children from one year onwards) and lactose-free variants are sold online, because milk formula for infants from zero to six months is not allowed to be sold online under the Sale of Infant Foods Ethics Committee Singapore’s code of ethics.
The company said its products are regulated for adherence to standards by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). It is also halal-certified by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.
FAIRPRICE MULLS EXPANDING FORMULA OPTIONS, HOUSE-BRAND MILK POWDER
Separately, local supermarket chain FairPrice told Channel NewsAsia that it is exploring ways to bring in more choices of infant milk powder.
The chain said it is in discussions with authorities to expand sourcing options to provide better-value products to parents. “We are actively in contact with several suppliers based overseas and are making good progress, and are in the final stages of bringing in new milk powder products,” a FairPrice spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia.
“At the same time, we are also pursuing the viability of developing our own house-brand milk powder.”
The supermarket chain said it would give more details within the next fortnight.
