Boom in Australia breast milk sales and donations a risk to infants, expert says

The most active groups do not allow or support the sale of milk. However, there is an online black market where breast milk is bought by people including cancer patients under the mistaken belief that it will treat their disease, and by athletes and bodybuilders who believe breast milk enhances performance and muscle growth, despite no strong evidence for this.

Bhatia, who is also a member of clinical ethics committees, said while there have been a number of government reviews and recommendations to address concerns about sharing breast milk, the practice remains unregulated, with inconsistencies between the states and territories.

Most of the milk sourced online does not undergo medical screening or testing for bacterial contamination, Bhatia said.

She said if breast milk was treated the same way as blood donations, relying on altruistic donations with clear clinical guidelines, screening and storage processes, then recipients would be protected from the risk that donors may conceal relevant information. She said regulation would also protect donors from potentially donating too much milk, which may compromise their health or that of their child.

A spokesperson for the federal health department said an expert working group finalised consistent guidelines for milk banks across Australia and New Zealand in early 2020 to address the ethical, safety and quality risks for the local and imported supply of human milk.

Taking a more heavy-handed regulatory approach is not the way to ensure safe sharing, according to Smith .

Smith said regulation should focus on how to ensure babies get breast milk from donors during emergencies such as natural disasters that may lead to food insecurity and a lack of access to formula. The commercialisation of milk banks that may exploit low-income women must also be prevented, she said.

Smith called for a more sophisticated regulatory system where breast milk provided through hospital milk banks was considered a tissue and regulated accordingly, while informal milk sharing was treated as a food safety issue. People should be provided with guidelines, education and advice on how to store and share milk safely, she said.