Ice cream made from mothers' milk? Ben and Jerry say no thanks.

Ice cream made from mothers’ milk? Ben and Jerry say no thanks.

Would you eat Ben & Jerry’s ice cream if it were made with human breast milk?

No? Ben & Jerry don’t think you would either. That’s why they politely dismissed the suggestion, made by representatives of PETA, the animal rights group.

A PETA spokesperson told NutraIngredients-USA: “It would certainly be a more healthy and natural choice than using cows milk, considering that a cow’s milk is designed for baby calves that are physically different from us.”

On that point I’m in 100 percent agreement. But breast milk ice cream? Maybe I’ll just have an Italian ice instead.

Of course, the PETA folks weren’t actually serious – they were trying to bring attention to the suffering of dairy cows on factory farms. But apparently someone IS serious about using mothers’ milk as a food ingredient.

The NutraIngredients article mentions in passing that a Swiss restaurant owner has reportedly called on local women to supply breast milk that will be used in various sauces and soups. Is he kidding? The NutraIngredients article wasn’t clear on that, so I went looking for more info and found it in the Telegraph, a UK newspaper.

And no, he’s not kidding.

Hans Locher, owner of the Storchen restaurant in Switzerland’s upscale Winterthur resort, told the Telegraph that he first experimented with breast milk cooking when his daughter was born.

“One can cook really delicious things with it,” reports Mr. Locher. “However, it always needs to be mixed with a bit of whipped cream, in order to keep the consistency.”

Good to know!

Apparently, the food control authority in Switzerland wants to address this issue, but isn’t sure how to proceed. The agency keeps of list of animal species from which it’s okay to make food (cows, sheep, etc.), and a list of species from which it’s NOT okay to make food (canines, apes, etc.). But humans don’t appear on either list.

Meanwhile, Mr. Locher has been running a newspaper ad stating he will pay the equivalent of nearly $5 for 14 ounces of mothers’ milk.

In today’s economy, he just might get a line of mothers stretching around the block. But customers? Probably a much shorter line.

Sources:
“Calls for Breast Milk in Ice Cream” Sarah Hills, NutraIngredients-USA, 9/29/08, nutraingredients-usa.com
“Swiss Restaurant to Serve Meals Cooked with Human Breast Milk” the Telegraph, 9/19/08, telegraph.co.uk