HK cuts baggage allowance, limits 'smugglers' to 2 cans of milk powder per visit

HONG KONG (REUTERS) - Hong Kong introduced measures on Friday to tackle a shortage of baby milk formula as food-safety-conscious mainland Chinese people flock to the city to stock up on supplies ahead of a Lunar New Year holiday.

The Hong Kong government cut the luggage allowance on trains that connect the city to the mainland to 23kg from 32kg and limited the number of cans of milk powder a person can take back into the mainland to two per visit.

It said it would also set up a hot line from Friday evening allowing Hong Kong mothers to place orders for seven brands of infant formula and ensure that orders placed by this weekend are delivered by the new year holiday, which starts on Feb 10 and runs for a week in China, when most shops are closed.

A series of scandals involving food produced in China, including milk, has sapped the confidence of many mainland consumers, who have flocked to Hong Kong to shop, angering residents of the wealthy city who say the problem has led to shortages and pushed up prices.