Safety and Quality of Milk

DONOR SCREENING

  • A verbal phone screening and a written questionnaire are completed by donors to assure that their milk will be safe for fragile infants who receive this milk.
  • Blood testing for HIV, HTLV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B & C are conducted.

MILK HANDLING

  • Milk is checked once received to assure that it has stayed frozen during transit and is clean from visible debris.
  • Each milk donation is entered into a secure tracking system so that the milk can be tracked and followed throughout the entire process.
  • The temperature of the freezers and fridges are monitored closely to ensure proper storage.
  • Milk is thawed following proper methods to ensure milk stays at a safe temperature at all times.
  • Milk from multiple donors is combined so that every bottle has consistent nutrient levels.

HEAT TREATMENT

  • Milk is pasteurized using the Holder method at 62.5 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. The pasteurization process destroys pathogens while maintaining many of the nutritional and immunological properties that make breast milk so important.
  • Each bottled is labeled with a barcode that can be tracked.

TESTING FOR SAFETY

  • Careful and strict quality checks are carried out for each batch of pasteurized milk.
  • Once pasteurized, the milk remains deeply frozen in freezers that are electronically monitored to assure optimal temperature ranges are maintained.

SHIPPING 

  • Milk orders for hospitals and outpatients are packed in insulated coolers or boxes and the appreciate ice to ensure milk is frozen upon delivery.
  • Milk is transported quickly and safely to hospitals, where staff have to sign off on the delivery of the milk so that it can be placed into the freezer immediately after arrival.

HMBANA Pasteurized Donor Human Milk vs Milk Sold Online

Donor selection process

Milk Bank:

  • Blood testing is done
  • The use of medications, illegal drugs, tobacco, alcohol and many other health and lifestyle questions are screened

Sold Online:

  • No regulations

Quality assurance

Milk Bank:

  • Milk is tested by a third-party lab to check for bacterial growth before and after pasteurization

Sold Online:

  • Milk is not tested by a lab

Pasteurization

Milk Bank:

  • Pathogens and viruses are eliminated by Holder pasteurization

Sold Online:

  • Without pasteurization pathogens and viruses remain

Transport process

Milk Bank:

  • Standards for transport of milk in place to ensure safety of milk

Sold Online:

  • No standards or regulations to ensure safety of milk
Back To Top