We know that two incidents do not make a trend. But still... First, Hans Locher, proprietor of the Storchen Restaurant in the resort town of Winterthur, Switzerland, announced that he wanted his stews, soups and sauces to be prepared with mother's milk: "We have all been raised on it. Why should we not include it in our diet?" He went on to explain, "I first experimented with breast milk when my daughter was born. One can cook really delicious things with it. However, it always needs to be mixed with a bit of whipped cream, in order to keep the consistency."
Before Zurich’s food regulatory body and the Association of Swiss Milk Producers axed the idea, to maintain a steady supply, he paid the equivalent of $5.40 for 14 oz. of milk from local women – culinary wet nurses, as it were. Even though the officials against the practice won, it's apparently legal. According to Rolf Etter of the Zurich Food Control Laboratory: "Humans as producers of milk are simply not envisaged in the legislation. They are not on the list of approved species such as cows and sheep. But they are also not on the list of the banned species such as apes and primates."
Now, that would seem to be strange enough. But then just a few days later, Tracy Reiman, Executive Vice President of PETA, sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield – Ben & Jerry – arguing that they shift from chow's milk…to human milk. Turns out, PETA was very impressed by the use of mother's milk in Switzerland. And they argue that, "The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense. Everyone knows that 'the breast is best.' So, Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch…"
In a statement that dazzles with its ability to walk a fine line, Ben & Jerry's said, "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue. But we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child."
But I'm willing to bet the marketing department was really disappointed. Just think of the possibilities for clever names: Mother's Milk Marshmallow, anyone?
– Merrill Shindler