Lucrative U.S. breast milk industry prompts debate in Canada

Mother's milk has always been a precious source of nourishment for infants... and a priceless one too.

But that's changing south of the border, where human breast milk is being bought and sold commercially in an expanding industry.

It's being dubbed liquid gold — not just for its nutritional goodness, but because of the high price it can fetch on the open market.

As this market takes shape, though, so too is a pressing debate between proponents of for-profit milk banks and those who say it should only be donated freely.

In the U.S., several jurisdictions are scrambling to regulate the new, for-profit sector. In Canada, Health Canada classifies breast milk as food — meaning it's legal to sell if certain guidelines are followed.

Individual Canadian moms can and do sell breast milk online. But there's currently no organized way to do it on a mass scale. Non-profit milk banks do exist here, but some moms say they'd welcome the for-profit U.S. model as a way to help pump up their bank accounts.

But many people are concerned about the idea of allowing for-profit breast milk banks in Canada. Janette Festival is among them. She is the Executive Director of the non profit Calgary Mothers' Milk Bank, and she joined us in Calgary.

We were also joined today by Elena Medo. She's the founder and CEO of Medolac Laboratories, and the for-profit milk bank Mother's Milk Cooperative. We reached her in Houston, Texas.

And now, over to you. If you've got a story about buying, selling or donating breast milk, we want to hear it. And tell us what you think too. Should mothers be paid for their breast milk? If you're a mom, would you sell your breast milk to a for-profit company? Respond to our poll below, or tweet us @TheCurrentCBC, find us on Facebook, or e-mail us.