FSSAI warns against commercial sale of human milk

In an advisory dated May 24, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed that all activities related to the sale of human milk must cease.

"FSSAI has not permitted the processing and/or selling of human milk under FSS Act, 2006 and rules/regulations made thereunder. Therefore, it is advised that all such activities related to the commercialization of human milk and its products should be immediately stopped," read the advisory.

Any violation of the rules will result in action against the food business operators (FBOs), the FSSAI stated in its advisory.

The FSSAI, which regulates the manufacturing and sale of food items in the country, has also urged state and central licensing authorities to ensure that licenses are not issued to food businesses involved in the processing or sale of human milk.

The online sale of human milk has surged, with milk banks, initially established as non-profits, collecting milk from lactating mothers and selling it for profit, reported NDTV.

A simple Google search reveals numerous options for purchasing such products online, including Instagram handles and milk banks.

Typically, milk banks process the milk collected from healthy donors (lactating mothers), checking for contamination and nutrient content before freezing and storing it.

According to The Times of India, most milk banks attached to government hospitals usually provide the milk for free.