In Spain this situation does not occur (we still cross our fingers), but it is very common in the United States the sale of breast milk online. A process that lacks regulation and that, as we have said on other occasions, can lead to health risks for the baby to whom that milk is intended.
A recent study has shown that much of the breast milk sold online is contaminated with cow's milk. What to do to increase the amount of milk for which, remember, they will pay me? Then mix it with cow's milk, easy to get, present in any pantry, a milk not suitable for babies.
In this way I will get more amount and earn more money, without thinking about the risks that it may entail. Instead of paying me for 100 cl. Breast milk will pay me double, triple or you know. And of course, in the destination the families that buy the milk will not have the necessary means to analyze its composition, quality ... Until some researchers arrive, such as those who have prepared this study, and we find ourselves with the unpleasant surprise.
It seems to me a selfish and unconscious performance by women who follow this practice from express milk and mix it with cow's milk to sell it. The donation of milk here in Spain, as the name suggests, is done in a selfless and controlled way thanks to the work of breast milk banks. A very important work and that from here we defend and applaud often, because they meet the needs of many babies with all the safety guarantees.
In order for the extraction of breast milk and its preservation to be safe, certain conditions must be met and a control must be followed that obviously is not carried out in the case of breast milk sold online.
There is neither a donor selection process, nor do we know if the extraction has been hygienic, the utilization containers may not be adequate, nor the transport that respects the cold chain until reaching the destination, no microbiological cultures or pasteurization are performed... Are not too many reasons to distrust this type of acquisition? But, in addition, what we are going to obtain is not exactly breast milk and can also contain many bacteria other than milk.
The study, published in the journal "Pediatrics", is titled "Pollution from cow's milk in human milk purchased through the Internet". After analyzing 102 milk samples purchased online, the researchers found that 11% were contaminated with cow's milk.
Of the positive samples, several had an amount high enough to rule out accidental contamination (10% of cow's milk or more), so it is logical to think that cow's milk had been intentionally added. In fact, I find it hard to believe that even in cases with less cow's milk there has been an accidental mixing ...
I hope that studies of this type put on notice the health authorities of the United States and those countries where the sale of breast milk is given online, so that the necessary measures are put in place and that society is aware of the risks of this practice emerging in some countries. Breast milk sold online is not the best option, it can affect the health of babies and certainly a regulation is necessary.
