There are strange things in our food. Existing food additives,
like high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), are mildly controversial when compared to
the newest suggestion – human breast milk.
Human milk contains carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins
and minerals, digestive enzymes, and hormones. The exact amounts of these
properties can change daily, depending on a woman's food intake and
environment. Generally, human breast milk is said to be thinner and sweeter
than cow's milk.
An Innovative
Approach?
Swiss restaurateur Hans Locher gained international
attention this month for planning to serve dishes made with human breast milk. Locher
says that he's been experimenting with the unusual ingredient for about 35 years,
since the birth of his daughter. He's perfected soups, sauces, and other
entrees by using human milk paired with whipped cream – which he recommends for
consistency.
To move ahead with the plan, Locher posted advertisements in
local papers for volunteers and received some positive responses. Local
officials were not excited about the prospect, however, and have threatened
lawsuits against Locher and his donors. Their belief is that human milk cannot
be stored properly or undergo enough testing to ensure that it is fresh and
safe enough for consumption.
In response to the pending charges, Locher said "I don't
understand all the controversy. The mother's milk is the most natural thing in
the world – how can anyone be against it? It is, after all, the first thing we
taste and I see no reason why I should not include it in my menu."
For PETA, The
Possibilities Are Endless
Of course, most things that are considered crazy or unusual
will be rallied for by somebody. In this case, the People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) – who are known for their extreme ideas – believe
that "breast is best" when it comes to milk. PETA executive vice-president,
Tracy Reiman, recently wrote to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, of Ben &
Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to use human breast milk in place of cow's
milk for their products.
Reiman states "The fact that human adults consume huge
quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just
doesn't make sense." The letter to Cohen and Greenfield discusses how using human breast
milk would benefit their customers and cows – touching on consumer health risks
and the treatment of dairy cows.
In response, Ben and Jerry have issued a statement saying "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing
attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her
child." On their website, PETA fired back that their whole point is that cow's
milk is intended for baby cows, and not for human consumption.
As a fan of Ben
& Jerry's ice cream, I'm glad they've rejected the idea of using breast
milk; I know that I couldn't handle it. For fun, I have been conducting an
informal poll of my friends and all of them gave me a resounding "no" when
asked if they would eat anything made with human milk.
Editors Note: Since
writing this entry, a couple of people have said that they'd be willing to try
a free sample if it was offered.
What do you think?
-
Should we
consider using human milk over cow's milk?
-
Is it
only gross because it's "in our heads"?
- Would
you try it?
Resources:
http://www.wptz.com/news/17539127/detail.html
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front.html?siteSect=109&ty=st&sid=9744046&front=br
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_milk
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article4776425.ece
http://blog.peta.org/archives/ben_and_jerrys/
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