It’s described as “sweet, a little salty, smooth, with hints of honey and sprinkles of colostrum, and features a distinct colostrum yellow tinge.” But the Breast Milk Ice Cream that’s making a splash nationally is “inspired by” but does not contain actual human breast milk.
The concept is a marketing ploy. OddFellows Ice Cream Co. and Frida, a baby product company, teamed up for the confection to boost interest in Frida’s new 2-in-1 manual breast pump, according to ABC News.
If you happen to be in New York, free samples are available. For the rest of us, it can be ordered online and shipped anywhere in the country. You can find it on the Frida website.
The ice cream mimics breast milk with mostly standard ice cream ingredients: milk, heavy cream, skim milk powder, sugar, dextrose, egg yolks, invert sugar, guar gum, salted caramel flavoring, honey syrup, liposomal bovine colostrum, yellow food color, 0.1% propylparaben (preservative), and FD&C Red 40, per a Frida statement provided to USA Today.
Per ABC News, “Although the version in Frida’s ice cream is from cows, colostrum is also present in human breast milk, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is high in nutrients and antibodies."
NPR reported in 2011 that a London shop sold ice cream that actually was made from breast milk. The BBC reported that safety concerns shut it down.
As for actual breast milk, it’s hard to beat for baby’s well-being. Healthline said it provides the best in nutrition, strengthens baby’s immune system and reduces risk of illnesses. Moms benefit, too. Breastfeeding bolsters recovery after giving birth, may aid weight loss and has been linked to less risk of certain cancers.
That’s something no ice cream has been able to claim.