PETA to Ben & Jerry's: Make ice cream from human milk

[dandaman]

c/o MSNBC

 

WATERBURY, Vt. - Mooove over, Holsteins. PETA wants world-famous Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream to tap nursing moms, rather than cows, for the milk used in its ice cream.

 

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asking the ice cream maker to begin using breast milk in its products instead of cow's milk, saying it would reduce the suffering of cows and calves and give ice cream lovers a healthier product.

 

The idea got a cool reception Thursday from Ben & Jerry's officials, the company's customers and even La Leche League International, the world's oldest breast-feeding support organization, which promotes the practice — for babies, anyway.

 

PETA wrote a letter to company founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday, telling them cow's milk is hazardous and that milking them is cruel.

 

"If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers — and cows — would reap the benefits," wrote Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of the animal rights advocacy group. She said dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies and obesity.

 

Ashley Byrne, a campaign coordinator for PETA, acknowledged the implausibility of substituting breast milk for cow's milk, but said it's no stranger than humans consuming the milk of another species.

 

"We're aware this idea is somewhat absurd, and that putting it into practice is a stretch. At the time same, it's pretty absurd for us to be drinking the milk of cows," she said.

 

It takes about 12 pounds — or 1 1/2 gallons of milk — to make a gallon of ice cream. Ben & Jerry's, which gets its milk exclusively from Vermont cows, won't say how much milk it uses or how much ice cream it sells.

 

As a standardized product under federal regulations, ice cream must be made with milk from healthy cows. Ice cream made from goat's milk, for example, would have to be labeled as such.

 

Presumably, so would mother's milk ice cream.

 

Ben & Jerry's will stick to cows

 

To Ben & Jerry's, the idea is udderly ridiculous.

 

"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," spokesman Sean Greenwood said in an e-mail. He didn't respond to requests for an interview.

 

Leon Berthiaume, general manager of the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery, which provides milk products to Ben & Jerry's, called the dairy products "among the safest in the world."

 

"Milk from cows has long-term health benefits and has been proven to be safe and healthy and an important part of the American diet for generations," he said. "I'm not ready to make that change."

 

Cow's milk and mother's milk aren't interchangeable, according to La Leche spokeswoman Jane Crouse, who says breast milk is a dynamic substance that's different with each woman and each child and might have difficulty being processed into ice cream.

 

Then there's the question of who would provide the milk, and whether they'd be paid.

 

"Some women feel compelled to donate milk to a milk bank for adopted babies, or for someone who's ill or unable to breast feed. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence about sisters who nurse each others' babies. There's a population of women very willing to share their milk. Whether there's enough to do it for a commercial entity, who can say?" she said.

 

At the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, consumers gave a collective "Eww" to the idea Thursday.

 

"It's kind of creepy," said Jeff Waugh, 42, of Dayton, Ohio.

 

"I think it's a little nutty," said the Rev. Roger Wooton, 83, of Malden, Mass., finishing up a cup of Heath Bar Crunch.

 

"How would they get all that milk?" said his wife, Jane Wooton, 77.

 

Jen Wahlbrink, 34, of Phoenix, who breast-fed her 11-month-old son, Cameron, said she wouldn't touch ice cream made from mother's milk. She remembers her nursing days — and not that fondly.

 

"The (breast) pumps just weren't that much fun. You really do feel like a cow," she said, cradling her son in her hands.

[cfc]

^Yet another lame-brained stunt for publicity from PETA--ho hum . . .

[dandaman]

^Oh, I know, but this one struck me as particularly hilarious.

 

// Still waiting for a "Bacteria Are People Too!" campaign to arise

[Moose]

As if they wouldn't complain that we were eating human milk ice cream.

 

 

The group is absurd and does and says anything to get a headline. The media should just completely ignore them, maybe then the troll will go away.

[Hercules]

Why would you even post this then? It obviously got your attention. If you wanted them to go away, then you wouldn't have plastered it here. Doesn't make any sense to me.

 

Seriously. I wish that PETA, and anything other animal rights organization would not do this kind of thing. It gives all vegetarians and animal rights people a horrible name. Sometimes I think a lot more people would be more willing to listen to what you have to say if you take a rational tone. I can see where they are coming from - trying to get publicity and getting attention with celebrities - however, not all publicity is good publicity. I'm sick of this PETA crap. I'm sick of the people that are sick of PETA. I'm sick of the world in general.

[dandaman]

^If you're referring to "moose", I'm the one that posted it.

 

Anyway, I do feel bad for the other animal rights groups actually doing some good... but until PETA disbands, their public stunts/statements will be the standard by which all others are (unfortunately) compared.

 

Though PETA's publicity is decidedly less violent than the Earth or Animal Liberation Fronts...

 

Dan "I may be sick of PETA, but not animal rights activists" Smith

[terrancew_hod]

I just make light of it:

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=646391#646391

 

(lol posted about this yesterday, but didn't think it deserved a thread).

 

PETA is a hot mess.

 

Terry

[dandaman]

^Terrance's D-cup comment FTW.

[Hercules]

^If you're referring to "moose", I'm the one that posted it.

 

Anyway, I do feel bad for the other animal rights groups actually doing some good... but until PETA disbands, their public stunts/statements will be the standard by which all others are (unfortunately) compared.

 

Though PETA's publicity is decidedly less violent than the Earth or Animal Liberation Fronts...

 

Dan "I may be sick of PETA, but not animal rights activists" Smith

 

No. I know you were the one that posted it. If you are so sick of the publicity that they are generating from it, then why post it on here so it can get more attention?

[Scaparri]

^I think the general idea is to continue to show just how crazy PETA is. I think the logic behind it is that maybe if enough people just call out PETA on how absurd their publicity stunts are, maybe they will just go away and their opinions will get ignored. That doesn't mean this logic is rational or effective, but I think that's the thought behind it.

 

It's nice to know that there are actually vegans/vegetarians/PETA members who actually feel that PETA is starting to get ridiculous, though.

[dandaman]

^^Because it's just laughable that they can constantly think this publicity is good for them and their cause. If you want good publicity, you'd better have some good rationality. If not, it's there and open for ridicule. Even if it did catch my attention, is there really a possible way to follow up with, "As long as you're here, here's a cause well-thought out and... uh... give us a minute..."

 

Dan "I'm only tired of the people who take PETA anything more than 'lightly' " Smith

 

EDIT: What Scaparri said. Me posting this isn't helping their publicity if it's all based around ridicule.

[terrancew_hod]

^Terrance's D-cup comment FTW.

 

See now I'm surprised no one has said anything about the pic of the chick on the milking machine that I linked or the revised post on my site.

 

You guys are no fun! My coworkers and I died with we saw that pic.

 

Terry "make her say moo and we're set" Weaver

[BeemerBoy]

See, this is the problem I have with some of PETA's efforts. Is Ben & Jerry's the ONLY ice cream maker? Why must they suffer the wrath of PETA? Why not just attack the entire dairy industry? Quit singling out companies, and play fair. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with them on the underlying issue. personally I don't care one way or another. It just bothers me that one particular company gets drug into this unfortunate bad publicity.

[bigstevet07]

I don't know about you, but I am a proud card carrying member of PETA.

People

Eating

Tasty

Animals

[TheRapidsNerd]

As tittilating a topic as this is, it's good to know PETA is keeping us abreast of things by busting out this udderly fascinating info and milking their media connections.

 

In other news, the singing cows at Hershery are pissed.

[Kalepi_Konei]

^ That was so cheezy it made me laugh.

 

Anyways I could TOTALLY imagine a WHOLE barn filled with naked women having there breast milk sucked out of there tits to make ice cream.

 

And I thought breast milk was bad for you after inphancy?

[AllenA07]

^That sounds like the start of a strange and creepy porno.

[dandaman]

^ i.e. Nothing fan fiction hasn't covered yet.

[kamikazewatermelon]

PETA is just one step closer now to promoting cannibalism.

[DBru]

Oh PETA... what a smart group...

 

So I'm guessing that SeaWorld will start serving this in the near future?

[mr_teisco_delrey]

^That sounds like the start of a strange and creepy porno.

 

Thanks for putting that bizarre thought into my head for the rest of the day. The only thought I have regarding this whole thing is to have crazy Pamela Anderson step up to the plate. Think of it as Silicone Sorbet.

[terrancew_hod]

^Don't drink it if it comes from Pam. It's already spoiled.

 

Terry

[gisco]

So is breast milk vegan?

[DarkStitch626]

This is funnier than the Rosie O'donald show on a bad day . These are the same people who wanted to free all animals at Sea World , to replace them with animatronics.

[dandaman]

^Is it wrong I immediately thought of "Whalers on the Moon" when I read that?

 

Dan "I died doin' what I loved!" Smith