Cambodia bans breast milk exports

For more than two years, the American company Ambrosia Labs has been buying breast milk from Cambodian mothers, then exporting it to the US for resale.

Recently, the Cambodian government banned the export of breast milk, preventing Ambrosia Labs from collecting breast milk in Cambodia.

“We are still poor, but not so poor that we have to sell our breast milk,” said Cambodian Foreign Minister Ngor Hongly.

Along with the ban, the Cambodian Ministry of Health has launched an investigation into the health of children whose mothers sold their breast milk, and whether Ambrosia Labs' operations violate laws against human organ trafficking.

For more than two years, Ambrosia Labs has exported breast milk from more than 90 Cambodian mothers to the United States. In the United States, Ambrosia Labs, based in Orem, Utah, sells breast milk online for $19 per 150-ml package with instructions that it is enough for “1-2 feedings.” Ambrosia Labs targets families with young children and bodybuilders.

Mothers must wait until their babies are six months old to sell their milk, and only twice a day, said Ryan Newell, co-owner of Ambrosia Labs. Six months is the age when the World Health Organization recommends mothers introduce solid foods.

According to Mr. Newell, selling milk brings in 2-3 times more income than the previous jobs that mothers used to do, and moreover, they have time to stay home and take care of their children. Now that it is no longer available, mothers may have to return to hard work with low wages in garment factories or make a living on the streets.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) fully supports the Cambodian government's decision: "Breast milk needs to be considered a part of the human body, like blood, and turning it into a commodity like in Cambodia should not be supported."

According to PLO