Bacteria in breast milk

Austin American-Statesman
Category: health
Level: national
This article is concerning an issue that individuals/families face.

Importance for individuals/families:
Women who may not be able to breast feed their babies but do not want to use formula may turn to these websites to supply food for their infants. The potential for contaminated breast milk is a risk that could critically affect the health of those babies.

My views:
I don't think women should by breast milk from websites. Not only is it impossible to know for sure where the milk came from, who produced it, or what condition that woman was in, but it is also not regulated by the FDA. I can understand the need for alternative ways to gain access to breast milk, especially in situations where a mother cannot breast feed, but there are breast milk banks that can be utilized. I don't know a lot about the breast milk banks, but I would assume the supply is much safer; donors probably go through some sort of screening. According to the article, the breast milk is being sold for just a few dollars per ounce. I don't know what the milk from the banks costs but I am assuming it is more expensive than the websites or else the websites wouldn't be necessary. My main issue with this is the lack of information on the source. The women producing this milk could have drug addictions, maybe they have some sort of infection, at the very least they are not handling the milk correctly. That is the reason, I believe, for the contaminated milk. Bacteria may be growing in the milk supply for a number of reasons, one possibly being a lack of refrigeration. The reader so many questions regarding the source and quality that I would not purchase breast milk from a website. Women should utilize other sources.