Cambodian Breast Milk Exporter Shut Down

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Cambodian Breast Milk Exporter Shut Down

Postby liminalOyster » Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:00 pm


Cambodia Shuts Down U.S. Company For Exporting Women's Breast Milk Without Official Permission

A company called Ambrosia Labs has been touting itself as the first group to import human breast milk to the U.S. from overseas, mainly from Cambodia. A lack of oversight has led the Cambodian Ministry of Health to shut it down without warning.

On March 14, Broadly published a report on the operations of Ambrosia Labs, exposing the fact that the company employed around 50 mothers who were paid 64 cents for each ounce of breast milk, generally each producing enough to make about $7 a day. Ambrosia Labs charges its U.S. customers $200 for a “Ten Pack” of five-ounce frozen milk packets. The Utah-based company was founded by Bronzson Woods and Ryan Newell, after Woods came up with the idea while on his Mormon Missionary trip in the country:

Woods discovered that demand for human milk was high, but supply was pinched. Breast milk is only available commercially through milk banks or on a growing online market, which remains unregulated.

American women aren’t incentivized to donate their milk, Woods says. “That’s where we thought we could kind of fit in,” he explains. He also references the country’s high rates of breastfeeding: “Cambodia’s in a sort of developmental sweet spot, right?”
France 24 reports that the Ambrosia Labs offices in the Cambodian suburb of Stung Meanchey were closed on Monday, and it was confirmed that customs officials have halted exports:

“We have asked them (the company) to contact the Ministry of Health because the product comes from a human organ, so it needs permission from the Ministry of Health but they did not get it yet,” Kun Nhem, General Director of Customs and Excise, told AFP.

He said government officials were planning to meet soon to “determine a policy about the product because it is a bit sensitive”.

While the company’s detractors have criticized the way they appear to be taking advantage of a vulnerable population, France 24 spoke with several women who are distraught by the sudden loss of income. A woman named Chea Sam told them she has been selling her breastmilk since the birth of of her son.

“I am poor, and selling breast milk helped me a lot,” she said, adding, “We all cried when the company informed us about the suspension. We want it to be in business.”

http://jezebel.com/cambodia-shuts-down- ... 1793445620
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Re: Cambodian Breast Milk Exporter Shut Down

Postby norton ash » Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:38 pm

Adding breast milk to my commodities portfolio. In other news, sanctions have been imposed upon the milk of human kindness.
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Re: Cambodian Breast Milk Exporter Shut Down

Postby tron » Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:59 pm

[youtube]v=tafO54XRXG0[/youtube]


i wonder if the setup is like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tafO54XRXG0

forgot how to add youtube AGAIN
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Re: Cambodian Breast Milk Exporter Shut Down

Postby liminalOyster » Mon Mar 20, 2017 3:25 pm

A friend of mine's wife had to stop breastfeeding due to chemo. They got hooked up with a informal network of breast milk providers who had a screening process for communicable diseases and either gave away their milk or were compensated a small amount and spent a few months driving all over the midwest to secure the precious stuff.

I remember being kind of fascinated by the parallels with prostitution at the time. But something that only piqued my interest slightly then just came back to mind - one of the biggest "markets" for breast milk was bodybuilders who believe it is the world's greatest growth support.

I'd hate to veer into the righteous territory of maybe-overly-shallow postcolonial-feminist cultural studies too quickly but it does sort of write itself - western male body enmeshed in globalized networks of commodification and subjugation at expense of third world women. I may be better off to keep it simple - this shit described in the OP is fucking fucked up, thanks very much. And, on edit, to those who argue that sex work is categorically "ok" and *not* at least ethico-politically complicated - but *must* be understood only in terms of the "right" to sell one's labor - does the same go for women in undeveloped global south countries selling their breast milk?
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Re: Cambodian Breast Milk Exporter Shut Down

Postby 82_28 » Mon Mar 20, 2017 4:45 pm

tron » Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:59 am wrote:[youtube]v=tafO54XRXG0[/youtube]


i wonder if the setup is like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tafO54XRXG0

forgot how to add youtube AGAIN


Highlight this tafO54XRXG0 then copy and paste then highlight again and hit the youtube button.

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