The Head of the Syndicate of Food Importers Hani Bohsali said during a radio interview that the infant milk formula for children aged between 1 and 3 years is involved in the food basket, adding that the Central Bank have decided to lift subsidies on food commodities, therefore prices of food including milk will surge.

However, infant milk formula will remain subsidized like pharmaceuticals and merchants will not be able to set the prices.

Bohsali said that the company, which disposed expired quantities of infant formula, will issue a statement today to clarify its practice. He added that this company abides to all international standards in compliance with the laws. “Any merchant who received the price of the subsidized goods and did not distribute it is considered a monopoly.”

Photos of large quantities of infant milk being disposed of have gone viral on social media platforms, as Lebanon is facing a severe shortage of basic commodities and foodstuffs.

The quantities of milk, estimated at 20 tonnes, were intended for use by children aged below 1 and between 1 and 3, sources said, noting that the products were hidden in a warehouse and were disposed of after they expired.

Social media activists voiced their resentment at this sighting which is a sign of the traders’ greed and their continuous attempts to store milk, thus depriving children from it.