to think this is a question of liberty?

[LemonDrizzleTwunt]

www.change.org/p/food-standards-agency-placenta-services-in-europe-should-not-be-stopped-by-novel-food-regulation-ec-258-97

Why would anyone not sign this? I am so pro being able to do what you like with your body that I can't see the other side of the argument, help!

bumping because it seems I'm all alone on this thread!

I can't see why you need to involve a third party tbh. If you want to eat your placenta, just ask midwife for it, and erm, fry it, or smoothie it, or whatever you see fit. Don't see why you need someone to help you with that?

I think it should be regulated. Taking it home with you and doing whatever is one thing, but sending it off to be processed and sent back to you is fraught with danger if there is no oversight.

Also, the petition's deadline was July, so it's not really relevant any more. And they got their target.

Also, the requirement is that "Any operator who wishes to market foods containing human placenta in the EU will need to apply for an authorisation under Regulation (EC) 258/97." - nobody is stopping anybody arranging this privately, but the EU direction is preventing anybody from setting up a business selling placenta products (whose placenta?), which I think is fair enough.

You still are able to "do what you like with your body", this only regulates the businesses who would like to take parts of your body and sell it back to you.

What bollocks.

I'm glad I live in a world where there are regulators like the FSA looking out for people's health.

You can't just set up an industry feeding people's body parts back to them without any regulation or control. The potential to harm people is massive - if there was some unidentified contaminant or health risk then hundreds of new mothers could die. At the very least, it needs to be determined that all the claims made by placenta encapsulation "professionals" are actually true. Even if there's no health risk, there is a risk that women are being duped out of money for something that does absolutely nothing.

Interesting responses, thank you guys

I'm kind of surprised to see that basically nobody agrees with me, I think it should be entirely up to the woman what she wants to do with her placenta, and she wants to send it to someone who will encapsulate it for her, surely she should be allowed to do this, regardless of who that person is? It seems like the change in regulation will mean that, at least for a short time, this option won't be available until the encapsulators (is that a word??) apply and receive accreditation. Therefore there'll be a gap of who knows how long?

I've heard placenta consumption can reduce the instances of PPD, and as depression is something I struggle with I had intended to encapsulate my placenta.

They could equally claim though, Lemon, that encapsulating your toenails helps with PPD. There's just no evidence for their claim.

Processing meat (which is what placenta is) carries huge contamination risks. It has to be regulated, for people's safety.

no, its a question of profit

I've heard that all world leaders are actually lizards in human skin disguises, but that doesn't make it true.

There is no scientific basis for the claims as currently known. Until the safety of it, let along the effectiveness of it, is properly studied and verified, then obviously its something that should be regulated. And this only regulates it from a commercial standpoint....it stops people making a profit from these things.
You can still do what you want with it personally.

And I really don't like the emotive hyperbolic tone of the petition, talking about how distressing it is and how its a fundamental human right. There are real and serious issues in the world re womens right to safe childbirth, this is not one of them.

You can send your placenta to anyone you like. Anyone receiving a placenta, however, will have a responsibility to ensure they don't give anyone they sell it to food poisoning or similar.

I doubt the hormones in a fresh placenta survive encapsulation well. Either blitz it with orange juice and neck it back, or fry lightly with onions. I was planning on doing the former but had to stay in hospital for a few days - by the time I got home DP had shoved it in the freezer and by the time it thawed I figured there wasn't much point.

Why do you think putting it in little capsules is better than frying it up and eating it with some fava beans and a nice Chianti?

Hopefully no-one currently suffering morning sickness will read this, or their carpets could be ruined for ever.

I've got an easy recipe for Christmas Pate if anyone wants it. Makes a nice starter.