The rise in prices in Morocco has spared no product. Since the beginning of the year, infant milk prices have also increased significantly, reaching 98 dirhams for a 400 g box and 146 dirhams for a 900 g box.
Faced with this dizzying rise in the price of infant milk, some families have replaced the pasteurized milk sold in pharmacies with cow’s milk which is not suitable for this age group because of its lower price.
According to a press release from the Moroccan Federation of Consumer Rights (FMDC), the price hike campaign in Morocco has affected all sectors, including infant milk, which has seen successive increases since 2020, ranging from 7% (3 dirhams) to 28% (24 dirhams).
According to the FMDC, this essential food for infants has become out of reach of the consumer, which has prompted some to replace it with cow’s milk not suitable for this age group. She points out that information is circulating of cases of digestive disorders in many infants reported by hospitals and specialist doctors.
In this regard, the FMDC denounces the upward trend in milk prices and draws the attention of the authorities concerned to the possibility of an agreement between the companies to increase prices. It also raises the need to regulate the sale of infant milk in pharmacies, since it is considered a medicine, in order to avoid health and material damage resulting from the consumer’s inability to obtain it.
The Federation thus recommends that all Moroccan families feed their babies with breast milk rather than artificial milk.
Asked about it by MoroccoLatestNews UKDr. Bihi Youssef, pharmacist and vice-president of the Confederation of Pharmacists’ Unions of Morocco (CSPM), effectively confirms this increase in the price of infant milk.
” We have seen a repetitive rise in the price of infant milk, to such an extent that it has become practically inaccessible for a certain category of our customers. When we asked about the reasons for this price increase, the answer we received mentioned the skyrocketing prices of aluminum packaging jars as well as the logistics costs. In addition, there have been changes to inputs to comply with new requirements. However, we believe that these arguments are no longer valid today.“, he explained to us.
Asked about the possibility of more rigorous control on the part of the supervisory ministry to remedy this price increase, Dr Bihi indicates that it is indeed necessary to act on this aspect, especially given the fact that the margin pharmacists is regulated and does not exceed 15% on the sale price. A prior control of prices is therefore necessary, and investigations must also be carried out to control possible practices leading to deregulation of prices on the market, he concluded.
MoroccoLatestNews UK attempted to contact the Ministry of Health, including Bouchra Meddah, the Director of Medicines and Pharmacy, but to no avail. The line is completely cut.