Human milk banking in North America

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A human milk bank is "a service which collects, screens, processes, and dispenses by prescription human milk donated by nursing mothers who are not biologically related to the recipient infant".^[1] As of November 2019, there are 28 milk banks in North America that are members of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA).^[2] They are usually housed in hospitals, although some are free standing. Members of HMBANA follow the annually revised "Guidelines for the Establishment and Operation of a Donor Human Milk Bank" which include protocols for soliciting donors and collecting, processing, and distributing the milk. In addition, some states have required standards for donor human milk banks. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), states that "the FDA has not been involved in establishing these voluntary guidelines or state standards."^[3] Some of these protocols are described below.

According to a joint statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): "The best food for a baby who cannot be breastfed is milk expressed from the mother's breast or from another healthy mother. The best food for any baby whose own mother's milk is not available is the breastmilk of another healthy mother" (UNICEF, p. 48). "Where it is not possible for the biological mother to breast feed, the first alternative, if available, should be the use of human milk from other sources. Human milk banks should be made available in appropriate situations" (Wight, 2001).