Is there a Black Market for Breast Milk?

Is milk soon taking a back seat to breast milk? While it’s a wonderful source of muscle-building protein, and it’s one of the best places to get bone-nourishing calcium, the human version is soaring in popularity for health benefits. That’s right- there’s a breast milk black market, so get your pump ready.

Why Breast Milk is So Vital

Breast milk is the only source of nutrients for newborn babies, so it is definitely one of the most nourishing substances on the planet. Tests have proven that breast milk contains not just healthy nutrients that keep babies healthy, but also hormones that ensure that the baby’s immune system starts protecting itself. Breast milk contains healthy bacteria that contribute to the development of vital gut flora, and it’s loaded with fatty acids like DHA and EPA – two vital fatty acids that contribute to healthy brain function.

The Black Market for Breast Milk

Now it seems that buying and selling breast milk is becoming a hugely popular trend.

To find the breast milk, one simply needs to go online and Google “buy or sell breast milk.” Within a few short seconds, Google brings up a number of websites that allow for transactions of breast milk, and anyone can log onto these sites and make their purchase or sell the breast milk. It’s actually a fairly simple market, and all one needs is a desire to buy or breast milk to sell.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Many mothers have taken to selling breast milk as a means of earning extra cash. Breast milk can sell for as little as $1 per ounce, or the cost can be higher if one looks on the less “official” websites. Companies  like Prolacta Bioscience are taking advantage of the popularity of this new product, and they are forming businesses that are more like a pharmacy than a Craigslist-like website.

There are a number “milk banks” around the country – simple offline retailers that allow breast milk to be bought and sold in their stores. Websites like Only the Breast, Human Milk 4 Human Babies, and Eats on Feets all provide this breast milk, which technically isn’t illegal to buy and sell. While other human fluids, tissue, and organs are all highly regulated by the government, the sale of breast milk isn’t because technically breast milk is a food. That means that anyone can buy and sell it, or even donate it to mothers in need of breast milk for their children.

Is the Sale of Breast Milk Safe?

Unfortunately, much of the breast milk sold online is untested and possibly unsafe. While companies like Prolacta do test their milk to ensure that it is drug and disease-free, many websites accept milk without testing. This means that the milk could pass on diseases like HIV and hepatitis, or could come from a mother that takes drugs.

A number of shipments of breast milk have arrived at their purchaser’s address already spoiled, as there is no way to preserve breast milk in the same way regular milk is. There are many health risks of drinking this breast milk, particularly for the unwary.

For those who are serious about finding healthy breast milk, the cost is a bit higher. They will need to work with companies like Prolacta that take their business seriously, and will probably want to stay away from the majority of online breast milk retailers. Milk banks may be an option, but a costly one. It’s a market with many risks, but it’s also one that provides a product that is needed by many.