Frustrations around the worldwide baby formula shortage have again resurfaced, as Woolworths faces accusations of racial profiling.
Parents Adrien Cheng, Reginald Dong and Sarah Kong have accused Woolworths of cancelling their online baby formula orders and suspending their accounts in separate incidents over the last month.
According to their lawyer, Kingsley Liu, the cancellations could have been ethnically motivated.
"They think that it could possibly be on the basis of their names - all their names are Asian,” Mr Liu told SBS World News.
“The position that they're in is that they're disturbed about the response they've had from Woolworths, and the treatment that they think that they've got that they think it's unfair."
Ms Kong has lodged her complaint to the Human Rights Commission, while Mr Cheng and Mr Dong are still in the advisory stage with Mr Liu.
They have all maintained they were ordering the allowed amounts of baby formula within the rules set by the supermarket chain.
Mr Liu is working pro bono on the matter, and believes a sincere apology could resolve it all.
"They would like to get an answer, and I think if the answer is the right sort of answer and it's transparent then I think that might settle the matter," Mr Liu said.
Woolworths has been quick to deny any wrongdoing, telling SBS in a statement that there was no element of racism in its actions.
"Orders are automatically flagged when they fit a pattern associated with breaching terms and conditions. Customer names are not checked," the statement said.
Woolworths added it is trying to manage its dwindling supply of baby formula for its online customers.
"We have seen multiple examples of customers trying to breach the limits we have in place in our stores. In some cases we suspend accounts pending a confirmation that the order fits within our terms and conditions,” the statement continued.
However the supermarket chain did offer an apology of sorts, adding: “a very small proportion of orders that are cancelled subsequently turn out to be legitimate and those orders are reinstated. Woolworths apologises to those customers that are cancelled in error.”
Kingsley Liu said he did not believe Woolworths's claim that names are not checked.
"It would seem, as I spoke to one of the clients today, it was a little surprising because she's got an IT background, that first of all that every time she got on and spoke to customer service they actually asked what was her order number, her name and address,” he explained.
“So there is probably no way that they couldn't have known who they're talking with."
The complaint comes amid global concerns of a formula milk shortage, in part due to high demand for the product in China.
Due to consumer pressure late last year, Woolworths limited its customers to four baby formula tins per transaction while rival Coles now only allows two tins.
Erin Chew from the Asian Australian Alliance has told SBS News the issue has cast a negative attitude towards people with Asian backgrounds.
"People make their own judgements,” she said.
“Obviously me personally I would feel that. I would feel that and I think in society as a whole there is a sense of xenophobia. Anything to do with Chinese or China there is that xenophobia anyway."
Erin Chew and Kingsley Liu believe more customers with similar claims will likely emerge in the coming weeks.
