INDONESIA – In the face of a devastating second wave of COVID-19 infections, Indonesians were seen panic buying a certain brand of milk in several videos which went viral over the weekend.
This comes after unverified news claiming that Nestlé’s Bear Brand sterilised cow’s milk had the ability to prevent COVID-19 as it boosts antibody production went swirling around in recent days.
In this video, two staff members of a shopping mall in Tangerang quickly made a dash for it as the frenzied crowd descended upon the cartons of Bear Brand milk.
Not wanting to lose out, many could be seen jostling with each other to grab as many cartons as possible, with one man even accidentally overturning his trolley in the process.
Resellers saw this panic buying as the ultimate golden opportunity and began selling per can at IDR50K (US$3.45) online. Its initial price was only around IDR9K (US$0.62).
As for Nestlé, there was little they could do to address the price hike except to promise that they would continue to ensure that there was a constant supply in order to stabilise the price.
According to the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) Task Force head Zubairi Djoerban, Bear Brand’s milk does not directly eradicate the virus and only provides the same set of nutrients as regular milk.
“If you wish to consume Bear Brand or other powdered milk, go ahead. But remember, no one is superior to the other.”
He added that the best method to keep COVID-19 at bay is to have a diet based on the food pyramid, which consists of vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Sources: Coconuts.co
Editor: Ying Ren Tan
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
