Recently I came across a headline in my twitter feed that really made me do a double-take.  The topic of breast milk wasn’t the eye-catching part. It’s what’s being done with the breast milk: cheese and ice cream.

Breast Milk Ice Cream A Hit At London Store

Excerpt from the article (to read on the entire article, click on the title):

The rare offering proved a hit with customers at the Covent Garden store — the first batch sold out within days of being introduced. A serving of Baby Gaga, which is reportedly flavored with vanilla and lemon zest, goes for 14 pounds — or about $22.50.

In an interview for British TV, store founder Matt O’Connor says, “It’s pure, it’s natural, it’s organic, and it’s free range — and if it’s good enough for our kids, it’s good enough to use in our ice cream.

The U.S. FDA is a bit leery of using “donor human milk.” On its website, it explains why:

Risks for the baby include exposure to infectious diseases, including HIV, to chemical contaminants, such as some illegal drugs, and to a limited number of prescription drugs that might be in the human milk, if the donor has not been adequately screened. In addition, if human milk is not handled and stored properly, it could, like any type of milk, become contaminated and unsafe to drink.

The reference to “free range” is funny.

Underneath the ice cream article there was a link to the article shown below due to the similar topic so I had to click on it.

Chef Dishes Up Breast-Milk Cheese (March 2010)

Excerpt from the article (to read the entire article, click on the title):

When Angerer posted a recipe for “My Spouse’s Mommy’s Milk Cheese” on his blog, customers began calling his eatery begging for a taste. So he began offering an appetizer of breast-milk cheese with figs and Hungarian pepper at Klee Brasserie. While response has been generally positive, Angerer and Mason admit the dish has been a decided turnoff to some.

“I think a lot of the criticism has to do with the combination of sex and cheese,” Mason told the New York Post. “But the breast is there to make food.”

The ice cream article said that women answered an internet ad and that they used the breast milk of 15 women. Did they specifically need 15 or was that how many answered the ad? How much breast milk is needed to make how much ice cream? The article didn’t say. 

I would be curious as to why these women were compelled to answer the ad. Are they being compensated? What would be adequate compensation? Free ice cream? That might have made me think twice – ice cream is one food that I can’t live without or resist.

There are SO many questions – way too many to list in this post.

The article about the cheese said that the chef used 2 gallons of his wife’s breast milk to make some cheese. Whoa there! TWO gallons?! How long did that take? I can’t even imagine.

How much cheese did this produce? The article didn’t say. But, according to some cheese recipes online, 2 gallons of milk will make about 1.5 lbs of cheese (I think I did the math correctly). That seems like a lot of work for 1.5 lbs of cheese.

What do you think about these articles? I’m not sure what to think. The concept does have a “eewww” factor for me, why? Is it the “combination of sex and cheese” like the cheese article implies? I don’t think that’s it. The FDA statement in the ice cream article does list some valid concerns.

The one thing that I’m certain of is that I would never pay $22.50 for a serving of ice cream – I don’t care what’s in it.

Would any of you sample the “Mommy’s Milk Cheese” or the “Baby Gaga” ice cream?