Chennai Authorities Seal Shop For Illegal Sale of Breast Milk; Probe Launched

Food Safety Department officials in Chennai raided a shop in Madhavaram selling breast milk for Rs 500 per 50 ml. The raid followed a complaint about the illegal sale of breast milk.

The shop, called Life Vaxin Store, owned by Muthaiah, has been sealed. Officials confiscated 50 bottles of breast milk.

The confiscated breast milk has been sent to the King Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research in Guindy, Chennai for testing. The Food Safety Department is investigating how Muthaiah obtained and processed the breast milk. District Food Safety Officer Bose said the sale of breast milk is prohibited by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Bose added that they had been investigating in this area for the past week based on a complaint. Muthaiah was using a license for selling protein powder to sell breast milk in bottles. The bottles had labels stating from whom and when the breast milk was obtained and claimed it was processed.

Bose stated that the information provided by the shopkeeper is not believable. They are continuing their investigation. As per the orders of the Food Safety Department Commissioner, this shop will be permanently sealed. A notebook containing names and phone numbers of women who donated the breast milk was also seized during the raid.

Officials will contact these women to verify if the information provided by the shopkeeper is true. The shopkeeper mentioned private and government organizations involved in collecting breast milk and a large company that processes it. However, he has not provided any proof for these claims.

Bose said whether his statements are true or not will be known in further investigations. He also mentioned health risks associated with storing breast milk, which can lead to the growth of microorganisms. It is questionable whether natural proteins present in breast milk will remain intact.

Selling breast milk in bottles is prohibited.