Pharmacy ATM baby formula project haulted

A pilot project allowing consumers to buy baby formula through automatic teller machines in Beijing pharmacies was suspended, newspapers reported on Thursday.

The project, launched on Saturday in five drug stores in Beijing, was suspended on Wednesday by the China International Trade Association under the Ministry of Commerce, which launched the project, according to a report in the Beijing Youth Daily.

An official from the association told the newspaper that use of ATMs was simply a trial run but no date has been fixed for the project's resumption.

Song Liang, a dairy expert, told the Beijing Times that the consumers are unlikely to buy baby formula in drug stores as they were not any cheaper than in supermarkets.