Food safety officials seal outlet selling human milk in Chennai

A protein powder sales outlet that allegedly sold human milk was sealed by the food safety department officials at Madhavaram here on Friday, a senior official said.

The shop owner obtained a licence to sell protein powder but reportedly sold human milk for Rs 500 per 50 ml bottle, the official said.

About 50 bottles containing the mother’s milk were confiscated from the shop during a raid initiated on Friday following a complaint to the Central licencing authority last week that human milk was stocked in Madhavaram to be sold.

“We found human milk stored in bottles. Samples were sent to the lab for analysis,” the official said.

During the raid, the authorities found mobile phone numbers of the donors. “We have sealed the shop and will initiate action for violations,” the district food safety officer said.

This is the first time breast milk was reportedly being sold in Chennai and the incident comes close on the heels of a ban on the sale of human milk in Karnataka.

The country’s food regulator had in an advisory dated May 24 warned against the unauthorised commercialisation of human milk.

“FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has not permitted the processing and or selling of human milk under FSS Act, 2006, and rules/regulations made there under. Therefore, it is advised that all such activities related to the commercialisation of human milk and its products should be immediately stopped,” the advisory said.

The shop owner, later told reporters that he has been sourcing mothers’ milk with a service motive.