Ensuring donated breast milk is safe

We know how vulnerable premature babies are, so we do everything we can to make donated breast milk as safe as possible.

How we do it

These are the important steps Lifeblood takes to protect the babies receiving donated breast milk, based on what the latest medical evidence tells us:

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Screening

We ask donors some lifestyle questions to make sure there’s nothing that could be harmful in the donation (e.g. infections, medications).

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Testing

We screen and test donors for key infectious diseases, using the same world-class processes Lifeblood applies to blood donations.

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Pasteurisation

We heat the donated breast milk to a certain temperature, then rapidly cool it: this process kills any bacteria or viruses.

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Sending it out

Before we send it out, we test the donated breast milk one more time for bacteria.

From donor to baby in need

Watch the journey of milk

Watch this video to learn every step a breast milk donation takes on its way to a vulnerable baby — and the tests and processing it goes through along the way.

Your milk donation guide

Donated breast milk is carefully tested, processed and tested again to make it as safe as possible. Know more about the donation process to see the care we take.

View the donation guide

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Safety