Pasteurization technician pouring donor milk into a 100 ml bottle.
-Photo courtesy Michael Ryan, Four 3rds Creative
Safety - Our Top Priority
We ensure that donor human milk processed in our facility is safe. Numerous safeguards are in place to protect the quality and integrity of every bottle processed, including pasteurization and third-party microbiological testing.
We exceed compliance measures set by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), which were developed according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
The following flow chart details the continuity of safety measures from screening donors to dispensing pasteurized bottles of donor human milk:
Quality Assurance Measures
- 100% compliance with HMBANA (Human Milk Banking Association of North America) standards
- In-place monitoring systems and preventative controls
- FDA-certified pest management
- Medical database and barcoding system
- Macronutrient reference testing and validation
- Staff training and certification in cGMPs
- Onsite Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)
- Routine equipment validation and calibration
- Serological and microbiological testing performed at CLIA-certified laboratories
Informal Milk Sharing
Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas takes multiple steps to assure the safety of donor milk beyond vigorous donor screenings such as batch pooling and pasteurization. The safety of screened milk that has not been processed by a donor milk bank is not guaranteed. Human milk is a complex fluid of biologically active components, and direct milk sharing increases the risks for the transmission of disease and bacterial infections. As a limited and precious resource, the milk bank prioritizes the dispensation of pasteurized donor milk to the sickest babies with the greatest need. Learn more on our Milk Sharing Education resource page.
