Baby Gaga Breast Milk Ice Cream: If Everyone Jumped

We’re sure you’ve heard about the breast milk ice cream that one London shop has had on its menu by now, but yesterday we learned that local officials confiscated all of the supply that was on hand at the store due to health concerns. The ice cream is apparently being sent to be tested for hepatitis contamination. {Los Angeles Times}

In case you missed the news, which has been spreading around radio talk shows, newscasts and Internet blogs for about a week, an artisan shop called Icecreamists in London has been selling ice cream made from human breast milk, dubbed “Baby Gaga” and sold for $22 a scoop. Icecreamists’ owners promise the ice cream, which is made with vanilla and lemon zest, tastes fantastic. {Shape} Apparently someone out there agreed, as the flavor quickly sold out. {Time Out London}

Concerns from England’s Health Protection Agency that the breast milk used to make the ice cream was not properly tested for harmful bacteria resulted in officials confiscating remaining supplies. Shape spoke with Dr. Ruth Lawrence, director of the Breastfeeding and Human Lactation Study Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told the health and fitness magazine: “The bigger philosophical issue is there are so many small babies and sick babies who desperately need breast milk. If women have milk to give, it would be wonderful to donate it to a milk bank…I suspect the breast milk ice cream contains only trace amounts, anyway.” For what it’s worth, the Icecreamists have maintained that the breast milk used was tested for the same diseases that blood is tested for when donated.

This may be a case where the gross factor is in our heads, but we won’t be trying Baby Gaga any time soon. Sure, we know where the milk in stores comes from, and cow milk might have an ick factor for some. Still, ingesting anything that contains even a sliver of something that was secreted from another human’s body is just too disgusting. Once you’re past a few months old, breast milk should be out of the question. Plus, $22 for a scoop of what amounts to cleverly marketed baby food exceeds our budget range.

The Icecreamists are known for clever names like Sex Bomb and the Vanilla Monologues, but we aren’t sure about this one. We first heard of the product via a tweet that said something about Baby Gaga but didn’t say what Baby Gaga was, so we thought Lady Gaga was pregnant or showing off pictures from when she was a child. Incorporating the name of one of the world’s biggest pop stars, while good for grabbing the attention of Gaga fans via vague headlines, doesn’t seem like it’s all that great for creating a distinct brand identity. With a forthcoming Lady Gaga scent tapping blood and semen for inspiration {Fashionista} and the Lady’s propensity for outfits from the butcher, it’s probably not the kind of association that helps sell people on body fluids as ingredients anyway. On their Facebook page, the Icecreamists say they have a revamped baby formula version ready to roll. Might we suggest a re-naming party to celebrate?