Normally, PETA is very well-intentioned in its crusade to stop animal cruelty. But every now and then, they go over the line. This week, they did it again: asking Ben & Jerry’s to use human breast milk for ice cream. Usually the phrase “just like mom used to make” is welcome on a menu, but not on Ben & Jerry’s pints.
PETA claims the practice of using cow milk for human consumption is cruel because cow milk is meant for cows. Umm… we’ve been milking cows for centuries, and they don’t seem to mind. They don’t fight back or even seem the slightest bit startled by the practice, provided it’s done properly. And, I’m no farming expert, but I recall hearing at either a county or state fair, that if you don’t milk a cow regularly, it could cause health problems.
But even if using breast milk for ice cream wasn’t disgusting right from the outset, let’s discuss logistics. There’s no way a human could produce as much milk as a cows does every single day. Ben and Jerry’s could probably employ every single woman in their home state of Vermont and still not have enough milk to meet demand. And then there’s the health aspects. With cow milk, the only possibly objectionable content is growth hormone — something Ben & Jerry’s says its farmers pledge NOT to use. With human milk, let’s consider the risk of milk tainted by prescription drugs, cigarette and alcohol use, and so on and so forth. No, thank you.
Just because one crazy Swiss restaurant owner decides to serve breast milk to his customers, doesn’t mean it would be OK for Ben & Jerry’s (or any ice cream company) to use it in their own products.
well i agree peta went over the line. like you said where would they get enough nursemaids to give this milk. first of all in order to produce milk you need to have given birth, unless they have drugs to to that and then the question is is will the milk then be safe?
many children drink breast milk and have allergies just as many many children who drink cow’s milk don.t