LONDON (AP) — Gross or tasty? A London company is offering an unusual dessert — ice cream made with human breast milk.
Trendy London ice cream parlor The Icecreamists said its "Baby Gaga" ice cream sold out as soon as it launched Friday.
The company paid women who responded to an online ad to donate their breast milk. The milk — which the company said was screened in line with blood donor requirements — is then pasteurized and churned together with vanilla pods and lemon zest. The dish comes in a martini glass and sells for 14 pounds ($22.50) each.
Some may be repulsed by the idea but Matt O'Connor, who owns the company, told the BBC that the product is "organic, free-range and totally natural."
"It's good enough for our kids, good enough for our ice cream," he said.
There are no specific laws in Britain prohibiting businesses from selling human milk products, the Food Standards Agency said, although they must comply with general food safety laws to ensure the product is safe for consumption.
Victoria Hiley donated the first batches of milk, earning 15 pounds ($24) per every 10 ounces (283 grams), the BBC reported.
About a dozen other women have signed up to donate more, O'Connor said.
UPDATE:
CASSANDRA VINOGRAD
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Local government officials have confiscated ice cream made with human breast milk from a London shop amid concerns the dessert is unsafe.
A spokeswoman from Westminster City Council said Monday it was responding to two complaints from the public over whether a shop should be selling edibles made from other people's bodily fluids and awaiting guidance from Britain's Food Standards Agency. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with council policy.
The official said the ice cream, marketed as "Baby Gaga" and launched last week, is being tested with the full cooperation of The Icecreamists, the parlor marketing the dessert.
Viruses, including hepatitis, can be passed on through breast milk.