I am toying with the idea to found a startup that creates human milk and would love to hear what mums/parents think about this topic or any business-savvy people out here who would like to chat with me?!
the context: globally only 40% of mothers breastfeed exclusively during first 6m, studies have established that more children could survive and do better if they had been bf (depending on country), this has a knock on effect on the economy too. Obviously non-bf infants have to be nourished and infant formula has done an amazing job to provide for kids that weren’t able to bf, however it is widely known that formula doesn’t quite hit the mark (compared to breast milk) when it comes to nutrition and the immunological benefits. The majority of formula is also cow milk-based, which is not the most ideal milk for human infants and in fact some can’t tolerate it due to sensitivities/allergies. In addition the dairy industry is not sustainable in the long run and we are seeing an increase in alternative milk (and even meat) products in recent years.
I am a mother of 2 and a stem cell scientist with over 14years of academic and industry research experience and I would like to grow human breast cells in the lab and let them express milk. this sector is called cellular agriculture and is booming right now.
I would love to hear people’s views on this! Thank you! 🙏🏻