Why Singaporean mothers buy baby milk formula in Malaysia

The average price for a tin in Singapore has shot up 120 per cent in the last decade, forcing families to take drastic measures to save money

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The price of milk formula in Singapore has shot up over the last decade. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:00pm, 13 May 2017Updated: 5:21pm, 20 Jun 2018

ONCE A MONTH, Singaporean Siti Norindah crosses the border into southern Malaysia with only one item on her shopping list: baby milk formula.

She grabs eight to 10 tins at a time for her three children, aged between one and four, grateful that the currency exchange rate is heavily in her favour.

With the Singapore dollar at a record high against the Malaysian ringgit at S$1 to 3.08 ringgit (HK$5.52), the savings for the administrative executive are substantial. A tin that would set her back S$86 at home costs only half the price in Malaysia.

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“I used to buy formula milk in Singapore for my first two children,” the 34-year-old told This Week in Asia. “But by the time my third kid came along, prices had increased by so much. It became a real burden to pay that kind of money. I had to think of alternatives, so why not Malaysia?”

High prices for formula milk in Singapore have forced many young parents like her to find creative ways to manage household budgets – even if that means travelling internationally for baby’s next feed.

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But unlike the safety concerns which drive mainland Chinese south to Hong Kong in search of milk formula – an unquenchable demand which led to the territory imposing a two-can limit on visitors – Singaporeans travel north to find respite from the escalating costs at home.