The demand for breastmilk is on a steady climb. Not only does it sell well to mothers who are in need, but other people purchase breastmilk for other purposes: body builders drink it to bulk up, and beauty establishments use it for their facials.
And where else can they get it but on the Internet, where transactions are efficient and fast and perfectly legal.
Breastmilk makes for a good commodity online, but doctors are worried about the quality of the milk being sold.
READ: Buying breast milk: Is it safe to buy milk from another mother?
Inside Edition did an investigation where they purchased milk from eight different mothers across the country and sent them to the laboratory for testing.
The results were scary.
“Seven of the eight samples acquired over the internet I would not feed to infants,” said breastmilk expert Dr. Newburg said.
According to the test, 87 percent of the samples contained potentially dangerous bacteria. Four of the samples contained gram negative bacteria, which can cause infections.
“These bacteria that we found could very well make infants sick,” he said.
With the high demand for breastmilk, more and more mothers are willing selling their milk online.
READ: Mothers sell breast milk on social networking sites!
“We’ve made a pretty penny,” Allison told reporters. “We’ve been able to put away for our children’s college education.”
Meanwhile, her friend Kaitlyn said that she has made a few thousand dollars by selling her milk.
Both are nurses, so they prioritize safety and sanitation when they pump and prepare their milk for sale. This is why their friend Missy is not bothered by the news that there are unsafe milks being sold.
“I know Allison and Kaitlyn,” she said. “I know where the milk is coming from and that it’s clean.”
Unfortunately, not everyone gets an assurance that what they’re buying is safe.
“In order to ensure mothers are receiving safe breast milk for their babies, the FDA recommends going to a milk bank where the milk is pasteurized to get rid of potentially harmful bacteria,” said reports.
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