Breastmilk lattes have become an intriguing new trend, but also a controversial one. New mothers who have an oversupply of breastmilk have taken to adding it to their morning coffee for both health benefits and the novelty factor. However, the practice also raises questions about safety and appropriate uses for breastmilk. In this article, we’ll explore some quick answers about breastmilk lattes and look at the debate in more depth.
Quick Answers
Is it safe to drink a latte made with breastmilk?
There are no known health risks to consuming one’s own breastmilk in a latte. However, improper storage or handling could introduce bacteria and pose a health risk. All safety precautions for expressing and storing breastmilk should be followed.
Does a breastmilk latte provide health benefits?
In theory, adding breastmilk to coffee could provide some added nutrition like protein, carbohydrates, and antibodies found in a mother’s milk. However, the small amount in a latte likely does not make a big impact.
Is selling breastmilk lattes legal?
The FDA prohibits the selling of human milk, including its use in food products like lattes sold at cafes. However, there are no laws prohibiting mothers from making breastmilk lattes for personal consumption.
Is it ethical to drink a latte made with breastmilk?
Views on the ethics of consuming breastmilk as an adult rather than giving it to an infant are mixed. Some see it as a questionable use of the resource, while others think all mothers should have autonomy over their milk.
Nutritional Profile of Breastmilk
To understand the potential health impacts of adding breastmilk to coffee, let’s look at the nutritional components found in human milk:
| Nutrient | Per 100 ml breastmilk |
|---|---|
| Calories | 70 |
| Carbohydrates | 7g |
| Protein | 1.2g |
| Fat | 4.4g |
| Vitamin C | 5mg |
| Folate | 8.9mcg |
| Calcium | 32mg |
In addition to these nutrients, breastmilk contains antibodies and compounds that protect the infant from viruses, bacteria, and inflammation. The lauric acid in breastmilk has antimicrobial properties as well.
Potential Benefits in Coffee
Given its nutritional profile, there are some potential advantages to adding breastmilk to coffee:
- Extra protein – The whey proteins could provide an energy boost.
- Added nutrients – The milk provides extra vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folate, and calcium.
- Immune boost – The antibodies could offer some protection against illnesses.
- Low lactose – The lactose in breastmilk is more easily digible than cow’s milk for the lactose intolerant.
However, the amount of breastmilk in a typical cup of coffee is very small. Many lattes contain 8 oz of milk, but a breastmilk latte may have just 1-2 oz. This would provide only a fraction of the nutrients listed above, so the benefits are likely negligible.
Concerns and Risks
While the potential upsides exist, there are also some important concerns and risks to address with breastmilk lattes:
Bacteria Contamination
As with handling any human bodily fluid for consumption, proper storage and sanitization methods are essential. Breastmilk is ideal for babies with new immune systems, but can pose risks to adults if contaminated. Storing milk incorrectly or mixing it into hot coffee can allow bacteria like salmonella or listeria to grow to dangerous levels not suitable for adult consumption.
Proper storage guidelines include:
- Storing in sterilized containers in the back of the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freezing for up to 6 months
- Thawing slowly in the fridge before use
- Never microwaving to heat or reheat
Without diligent storage practices, a breastmilk latte could pose a significant health risk.
Lack of Diversity for Infant Consumption
For lactating mothers, handling milk properly to allow consumption by the mother rather than her infant raises questions. Babies between 0-6 months rely on breastmilk as their sole source of nutrition. They receive the most benefit from its live components like antibodies, enzymes, and probiotics. However, infants also benefit from diversity in the mother’s diet which alters the nutritional profile of the milk.
If a significant volume of milk is diverted for lattes, the infant may receive less benefit from their mother’s diet and changing breastmilk composition over time. Limiting the amount used and spacing consumption across the day could help mitigate this concern.
Uncertain Regulations
Finally, there are currently no regulations in place controlling the sale of breastmilk lattes or governing their handling protocols. While selling unpasteurized breastmilk is illegal, cafes have tried offering breastmilk lattes on request. Health departments have had to intervene due to safety risks. The lack of oversight and control mechanisms in commercial sale is concerning.
Until regulations are introduced, consuming breastmilk lattes made by anyone other than the lactating mother introduces risks. Even for personal consumption, following storage best practices is critical.
Social and Cultural Perspectives
Beyond concrete nutrition and health-related concerns, breastmilk lattes also provoke debate on social and cultural grounds. Some of the differing perspectives include:
Critiques of Commodification
Critics argue transforming breastmilk into a product to be consumed casually like a coffee additive cheapens and commodifies the liquid. They contend breastmilk is a life-sustaining food purpose-designed for infants, not a novelty item for adults’ entertainment. Adding it to artisanal coffee drinks treats it as just another trendy menu option instead of the vital source of nourishment it is intended to be.
Violation of Social Norms
Breastmilk consumption has traditionally been seen as taboo for anyone other than a nursing infant. The act of breastfeeding even occasionally sparks controversy. Some see putting breastmilk into lattes served in public cafes as a purposeful violation of social norms for shock value rather than a legitimate practice.
Autonomy Arguments
Supporters counter that a lactating mother has autonomy over her milk. If she has pumped an oversupply, she should have the right to consume or use it as she chooses. Wasting milk by throwing it away may actually be less ethical than using it for other purposes. Mothers need to be empowered to make the choice rather than shamed.
Normalizing Breastmilk Consumption
Advocates also argue that drinking breastmilk could help normalize it as a food source. If breastmilk is dismissed as only for infants, the ability to breastfeed in public spaces without harassment may be undermined. Treating breastmilk as an acceptable food and drink choice for anyone could strengthen breastfeeding rights.
Legal Issues
Along with social attitudes, the law also plays a role in the breastmilk latte debate. Currently, there are a few key legal considerations:
FDA Stance on Selling Breastmilk
The FDA prohibits the sale of human milk, which it regulates as a food product and tissue. The agency has sent warning letters to creameries and cafes attempting to sell breastmilk lattes and other food products, demanding they cease immediately. Their concern is around safety and controlling the spread of communicable diseases.
However, the FDA does not regulate personal consumption and handling of breastmilk. Individuals face no federal restrictions on adding their milk to their own coffees.
State and Local Breastfeeding Laws
Though federal law prohibits breastmilk sales, states have autonomy over laws related to breastfeeding and public health. Several states protect the rights of mothers to breastfeed in public, exempting breastfeeding from any public indecency laws. Some also allow donation of breastmilk via milk banks or direct exchange between mothers.
Local authorities like health departments can regulate the handling of human milk products like breastmilk lattes through their food safety oversight powers. However, they cannot make laws override state breastfeeding protections. The patchwork of laws across states and cities makes uniform regulation complex.
Legal Risks for Cafes
For cafes and restaurants, there are real legal risks to serving breastmilk lattes and other food products containing human milk. The FDA has broad authority to seek injunctions and press both civil and criminal charges for violations of their food safety rules. Even if state law does not prohibit breastmilk commerce, federal regulations take precedence.
Liability for any foodborne illness outbreak is also a major financial and legal concern if unpasteurized breastmilk were to cause customer sickness. It is simply too risky a product for businesses to handle.
Public Health Recommendations
In light of the assorted risks, the public health community generally advocates against consuming breastmilk lattes. Some of the warnings and recommendations from key groups are:
FDA
The FDA asserts that there are no nutritional benefits or health justification for consuming human milk as an adult. The unknowns around contamination in addition to lack of evidence showing benefits means they cannot condone the practice.
CDC
The CDC strongly cautions against any consumption of unpasteurized breastmilk outside of direct breastfeeding between mother and child. They set strict guidelines on proper handling, storing, and heating of breastmilk to avoid bacteria risks.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
This professional nutrition organization states human milk is intended solely for consumption by infants, with their nutritional needs and still-developing immune system in mind. Outside of infants, consuming breastmilk confers no benefits and may pose risks not recommended by nutrition experts.
American Academy of Pediatrics
The leading group of pediatricians advises against serving or selling unpasteurized human milk to the general public. They say it is impossible to guarantee its safety without processing that destroys valuable qualities.
Conclusion
While the idea of adding breastmilk to coffee is intriguing to some, there are significant concerns about health, safety, ethics, and legal risks that make the practice inadvisable. The medical community strongly cautions against consuming unpasteurized breastmilk, particularly from any source other than the baby’s own mother.
For mothers with ample milk supply, using small quantities in their own drinks is unlikely to pose a major risk if following strict storage protocol. But given minimal proven benefits and the lack of quality oversight in commercial sale, breastmilk lattes cannot be recommended as safe or advisable for the general public. From the perspective of public health, the risks outweigh any novelty appeal.