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Mum 'violently assaulted' while filming Woolworths baby formula chaos

A horrified Melbourne mum said she no longer feels safe shopping at Woolworths after claiming she was “violently assaulted” with a tin of baby formula by a shopper.

Mum-of-one Catherine Urriola claims to have encountered “chaotic scenes” involving a frantic mob of shoppers “desperately” grabbing tins of baby formula before it could even be stocked on the shelves at her local Dandenong Woolworths supermarket, south-east of Melbourne, earlier this month.

The shocked 34-year-old said she “couldn’t believe” what she was seeing and decided to film “around 30 crazed shoppers” with her phone.

But she was horrified after she claims one man “violently” pushed her and threw a tin of baby formula in her face.

Melbourne mum claims she was assaulted with baby formula tin at Woolworths
A Melbourne mum recorded a frantic mob of shoppers ‘desperately’ grabbing tins of baby formula at Dandenong Woolworths. Source: Catherine Urriola/Caters

A spokesperson for Woolworths said the pallet of the baby formula was placed in the middle of the supermarket aisle shortly before closing time so staff could stock shelves the next day.

Ms Urriola said she dropped into Woolworths about 8.30pm on December 8 to grab a few things and noticed a bunch of people running through the store.

“I didn’t think much of it until I had to go into the aisle where the baby formula usually is. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There were all these people desperately grabbing tins of formula right out of the boxes on the pallet which was on the ground,” she said.

“It had not even been put on the shelves yet. They were being really aggressive to other people, shoving them and pushing them away.”

Baby formula shoppers evade 2-can limit with return trips

Ms Urriola said she saw people “running in, getting their two tins and then running out to put them in their trolleys”.

“Then they would run back in and grab another two tins, it was just a cycle,” she said.

“I thought I’d record it because I didn’t think anyone would believe what I was seeing. I could see they were annoyed, but I didn’t think anything bad would happen to me.

Melbourne mum claims she was assaulted with baby formula tin at Woolworths
The woman claims one man ‘violently’ pushed her and threw a tin of baby formula in her face. Source: Catherine Urriola/Caters

“One lady walked past and put the tin near my face. Then a man walked past and whipped his bag at me before grabbing his tins of formula.

“But when he walked back past me, he actually pushed me and threw the tin in my face. That’s when I got really upset and told him, ‘Don’t touch me.’

“I was shocked. I never thought shoppers would be physically abusive at Woolworths.”

“He had no right to touch me. It doesn’t matter what is going on, no one has the right to go up to anyone and touch them in any form.”

The mother said the confrontation left her feeling so unsafe at the supermarket and she would not be returning.

She said she told a team member at the store about her alleged assault and showed him the confronting footage.

The employee found the alleged perpetrator and “kicked him out” of the store, while confiscating the two tins of baby formula he was going to purchase.

The woman has not reported the alleged assault to the police.

China’s baby formula demand lucrative market for Australia

Demand for foreign baby formula products in China has skyrocketed over the last decade after locally-produced infant formula left six children dead and made more than 300,000 ill in 2008.

As a result, baby formula is a lucrative market for overseas buyers, with national newspaper reports revealing one-kilogram tins bought locally for up to $35 were being resold to overseas consumers for about $100.

Melbourne mum claims she was assaulted with baby formula tin at Woolworths
Some brands of baby formula sell for three to five times the price in China. Pictured is sought-after Aptamil formula. Source: 7News

Following a national shortage of infant formula in 2017, Australian supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths introduced a two-tin limit for shoppers in an effort to curb short stock supply.

But earlier this year, both supermarket chains announced these restrictions were being significantly relaxed to eight tins of baby formula per customer.

However this decision was repealed again in October after Woolworths reinstated the former two-tin limit following customer complaints and after controversial footage emerged of shoppers stocking up on boxes of formula.

“We have a two-tin transaction limit on baby formula in place and our store teams work hard to ensure customers have access to stock when they need it,” a spokesperson for Woolworths said.

“The pallet was positioned in the aisle a short time before the store closed, so our team could fill the shelves for the next day’s trade.

“Baby formula stock was readily available for customers at the store the next day.

“We encourage any parents who find their chosen baby formula unavailable on the shelf to speak with store management, so we can help get them stock as quickly as possible.”