A crafty and determined Guangzhou shopper has drawn ire from netizens for posting a trophy shot, boasting of her haul of 148 cans of baby milk formula purchased from Hong Kong.

The image is fueling arguments, particularly from angry Hong Kong mothers who can’t find enough formula, that mainlanders are hoarding finite numbers of available milk powder products to the detriment of locals.

The woman who boasted of her haul posted this message on Sina Weibo, as translated by the SCMP:

“We [the woman's family of three] finally got 148 cans of infant formula after going back and forth between Guangzhou and Hong Kong for a whole week! Now we have secured milk powder for my own baby, my sister-in-law’s baby, my aunt’s two grandchildren, and my uncle’s grandchild. By the way, I didn’t even see any barren shelves in the aisles of Hong Kong’s supermarkets.”

Hong Kong introduced a two-tin limit on milk formula in February to ensure enough product is available for local families. But despite the rule, problems seem to persist.

Traders are continuously looking to find new ways of getting their goods across the border, taking further risks for lucrative rewards.

The market is driven by doubts over the quality and safety of homegrown infant milk formula, especially since the 2008 melamine milk scandal that claimed the lives of six babies.

Critics will ask how such a haul could have been amassed. Here’s what a few had to say:

Guo Weiqing: “I don’t understand – what’s the point of showing off such outrageous behaviour?”

JimmyYeung: “I feel very embarrassed as a fellow citizen from Guangzhou. This is too much.”

duhiut: “Do you live in the village?”

sydney10: “Honestly, why don’t mainlanders focus on making concerted efforts to fight for better government control of food safety? Milk powder, water, vegetable oil – everything is tainted in China. It is not anti-government to ask for food safety. Chinese people should speak up and stop… ‘robbing’ – from the outside.”

Source: SCMP