Baby milk prices in some cities of the Kingdom increased last week while in some regions they are being sold at higher prices than others. In the Eastern Province, prices increased by 16 percent while in Jeddah, 30 percent. While pharmacists say the increase has come from the production companies themselves, Anas Zaraa, a member of pharmacy committee, Jeddah Chamber Commerce and Industry, attributed the increase to the lack of monitoring on the part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. Sources told Al-Watan Arabic daily that importing companies instructed pharmacies last Wednesday to up the prices without giving any justification. A senior staff member of a pharmaceutical company said that baby milk prices have increased by 40 percent for some types of milk from SR 50 to SR80. Dr. Nasser Al-Tweam, president of the Consumer Protection Association, told Al-Watan that the association will investigate into the causes of the hike in prices. “We're keeping an eye on the global price indices and other food organizations to see the reason behind the increase in prices, as to whether it has anything to do with the producing countries or the local market?” Al-Watan visited some pharmacies in Jeddah and noticed big discrepancies between the prices from one pharmacy to another. A pharmacist said the prices of some milk products increased from SR55 to SR63 while others increased from SR49 to SR80 blaming pharmaceutical companies for such increase.
