Importance of human milk Human milk is increasingly becoming recognized as the nutrition choice with the most health benefits for infants. Unfortunately, some mothers might not be able to produce a sufficient supply of milk. In these cases, mothers have turned to donated milk as a solution, sometimes even finding local donors online or through their local communities. Reasons for the expanded need for donated human milk include: • One in eight babies are born prematurely. • Human milk is especially important for premature or sick babies, who are at 10 times the risk of intestinal infections if they are formula fed. • Less than 50% of moms who deliver a baby prematurely are able to provide milk. • Some mothers of preterm and ill babies have health complications of their own and may need medication that prevents them from breast feeding. • Human milk contains antibodies to fight disease and infection and protect against allergies • Human milk contains growth hormones to help babies develop. Source - https://www.milkbank.org/milk-banking However, as with anything to do with body fluids, there are risks when it comes to sharing milk. Many women might not even be aware of the way certain chemicals can affect their milk. About milk banks Milk banks have stepped in to help coordinate donation and distribution of human milk for babies around the world. Milk banks typically have donor prescreening processes to identify risk factors, as well as pasteurization procedures in place to maximize safety before sending milk to babies in need. The screening and pasteurization process can vary from one milk bank to the other depending on the bank’s established procedures. One major area of concern for milk banks is mothers donating milk that is tainted and unfit for consumption. Ideally, donated milk would go through thorough scientific testing and screening before it is passed along to infants. A major cause of contamination is prescribed medication and illegal drugs that can reach harmful concentrations in a mother’s milk. Some milk banks test their donated samples for the presence of harmful drugs with various screening methods, and others rely on donor prescreening processes and doctor recommendations to prevent this situation. However, the only way to be fully confident that a donated milk sample is free from harmful concentrations of dangerous chemicals is to perform validated scientific testing for their presence. Human Milk Testing Solutions