It has recently been reported that a majority of breast milk that is sold online from women who produce an excess of what some call "liquid gold," contains various forms of potentially dangerous bacteria. 

After questioning the safety of such a transaction, researchers decided to test over a hundred different milk samples on one of the internet's most popular breast-milk-for-sale websites. Such sites sell the milk for a few dollars an ounce and some women, who produce thousands of extra ounces of milk per baby, stand to make serious profits.

Pediatric experts say that the practice of pumping and selling one's breast milk online is dangerous, especially if no one is regulating sellers' methods. Doctors say that when it comes to online sales of breast milk, no one is really able to ensure if the person producing the milk is a model mother or a drug addict.

Author and researcher Sarah Keim, who is heading up this project from the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, says that "Because the consequences can be serious, it is not a good idea to obtain breast milk in this way." Keim does however say that donating breast milk to a milk bank is a safe and effective way to help people in need. Milk banks are associated with hospitals and they have a screening method for donors, as well as a pasteurization process for the milk.

Although the Federal Food and Drug Administration came out against selling breast milk online in 2010, there is no way for them to regulate it yet. The research group at Nationwide says that they hope their study will further awareness and hinder people from buying breast milk online.

Source: The New York Times, "Breast Milk Donated or Sold Online Is Often Tainted, Study Says" 21 October 2013