An Australian current affair programme has been met with outrage from Singaporean mothers.

This occurred after the news segment accused Singaporean mums of snapping up Australian milk formula and depriving Australian mums of their own products.

"Coming at a cost for Australian mums"

What incited the reaction was a snippet of the show, A Current Affair, that was uploaded to Facebook on Feb. 8, 2019:

It has been watched more than 38,000 times.

In case you can't see the video:

[video width="640" height="360" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2019/02/milk-supply.mp4"][/video]

Filmed at a baby expo in Singapore, an on-site reporter calls Australian milk powder brand Nature One a "star attraction".

Mums from Singapore and all over Asia apparently flocked to buy the baby formula, likened to "powdered gold" by the same reporter.

He said:

"The mothers over here, they cannot get enough of it. But that obsession here in Asia with our products is coming at a cost for Australian mums."

One of the shoppers at the Singapore expo was filmed saying:

"We feel responsible because we're taking up their milk, but at the same time, we wish that we don't have to go all the way to Australia to you know, get it."

It was not clear what question the reporter asked her.

An Australian mum was also interviewed off-site, where she commented:

"We shouldn't have to fight to feed our babies. It's just not fair. [...] That makes me really angry. I think we should have the same privilege. I don't understand how they're getting all our formula."

The full episode airs on The Nine Network, one of three main free-to-air commercial networks in Australia.

Singaporean mums not having it

In the comments section of the video, Singaporean mums are fighting the misconception that they are going to the fair to snap up the milk supply.

In fact, the mums purchase a variety of brands from other countries, including Malaysia, Europe, and New Zealand.

Additionally, Singaporean mothers visited the fair not just for baby formula, but also to shop for other items.

News program twisting the facts?

The Australian woman who claims to be the off-site interviewee featured in the above clip is now accusing the news programme of lying to her.

She started by asking others to sign her petition "Baby formula for Aussie babies":

Subsequently, she clarified the context behind her quote in the show:

She was apparently talking about China, not Singapore.

But her calls to the programme's personnel have gone unanswered.

About three hours after first excerpt was uploaded, the program's Facebook page posted another snippet about the milk crisis in Australia:

Chinese consumers buying in bulk

However, previous reports of Chinese consumers buying Australian milk in bulk might provide some context to the situation.

This frenzy can be attributed to a general distrust that the Chinese have in their own products, sparked by the 2008 milk scandal.

Traces of melamine — a nitrogen-based chemical most commonly used in plastics, as well as fertilisers and concrete -- were found in the milk products of 22 Chinese dairy companies then.

The scandal resulted in 300,000 sick babies and six fatalities.

Top image via A Current Affair/Facebook