Following the establishment of Beijing’s first human milk bank in May, human milk donations and the medical use of donor human milk have once again caught the public’s attention, with experts calling for regulations and investment in the emerging industry.

“The best food for a baby is human milk,” Li Zhenghong, vice director of the Pediatrics Department at Peking Union Medical College, said. “For premature infants whose digestive system is not fully developed, human milk is also good medicine. A human milk bank functions like a blood bank, providing human milk for babies whose mothers cannot breastfeed.”

China’s first human milk bank was founded in Guangzhou in 2013. Since then, more than ten similar facilities have been established across the country. Though the industry is booming, human milk donation in China is still a relatively new concept, while the human milk banks face problems, including lack of uniform standards and insufficient funds.

“For the past four years, we’ve collected 1.12 milliliters of donated human milk. We only have about 750 donors, while 278 infants have received milk from our hospital. Every day, around 90 infants need donated human milk, but we can only satisfy 10 percent of them. The main issue is public awareness of human milk donation,” said Liu Xihong, a doctor from the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center.

The lack of uniform standards and investments has also made some facilities reluctant to accept human milk donations, as they fear problems could cause severe consequences.

According to Li, in countries like the US and Brazil, human milk banks usually pay for milk donations and can offer the donated milk for free. Medical staff will prescribe human milk to infants who are in need, the cost of which is covered by insurance companies. China does not have such a system in place.

“The authorities should raise public awareness of human milk donation and breastfeeding, as well as make specific laws and regulations to help the development of human milk banks,” said experts.