How safe is donor milk?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that all preemies born weighing 1,500 grams or less at birth are fed only human milk1, not formula (which contains foreign proteins from cow sources) for the first six months of life. Human milk is especially important for low birthweight preemies because they are born with underdeveloped immune and digestive systems. Using anything other than human milk can increase the risk of multiple health complications.2

When mom’s milk is unavailable, the AAP recommends the use of donor milk.3 But how do you know if donor milk is safe? In the NICU, donor milk generally comes from a milk bank. All milk banks have a process for screening the donor and testing the milk for disease. But not all milk banks have the same level of safety standards.

Donor milk from Prolacta

Prolacta Bioscience operates several milk banks and donor milk collected, tested, and processed  undergo the highest screening and safety practices in the industry. Prolacta believes that as a biologic, human milk should be as safe as blood. Safety begins during the donor selection process. Interested donors must submit an evaluation from their physician that verifies they are in good health and are able to provide sufficient breastmilk to their own infant first.

Donors are then screened for human immunodeficiency virus 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2), human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV), hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis. A DNA fingerprint is created from the provided saliva sample and matched against the raw milk the donor sends to ensure that the milk is coming from the qualified, healthy donor (an extra safety step that is unique to Prolacta). The milk is checked for drugs of abuse, cocaine, marijuana (THC), nicotine, adulteration and dilution.

After the milk is declared free of disease and other impurities, it is concentrated and pasteurized in Prolacta’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.  Another round of testing is done on the milk to ensure that it is free from microbiologic contamination that include aerobic count, B. cereus, E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, coliforms, S. aureus, yeast and mold. A final virus testing by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is performed.

Prior to shipping to the NICU, all of Prolacta’s human milk products are fully analyzed and labeled with specific nutritional values, “use by” date and color-coding to support safe storage, mixing and administration. The products are given to preemies in the NICU by licensed professionals and are not shared or otherwise provided to consumers.   

As a parent of a preemie – especially those born at 1,250 grams or less – talk to your healthcare provider about the safety of the donor milk being administered to your baby, and be sure to discuss the critical difference between human versus cow-based fortifiers or formulas. Highly tested donor milk is used to create Prolacta’s vast array of NICU nutritional products.