The price of baby powdered milk has risen by 15 percent despite government having increased its subsidy from SR2 to SR12 a kilogram, reported Al-Sharq newspaper on Sunday. The country consumes about 75 million cans annually. The newspaper reported that consumers are angry about the increase; and said importers should not blame the financial crisis in Europe which has badly affected the exchange rate of the euro against the dollar. Consumers say prices have risen from SR39 to SR75 in one year. A total of SR1.5 billion is spent on this product, they say. Meanwhile, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) banned baby milk powder imported from a Belgium milk company after it was warned by the European authorities of bacteria in the product. The SFDA advised consumers to destroy the product.
