Donated breast milk is shown in a New England facility in this 2012 file photo. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Ever wanted to know what human breast milk tastes like without, well, actually having to drink it? Then a bizarre new candy could be for you. Hard Fruit Candy Importer
A Texas candy company called Lollyphile has created a lollipop that supposedly tastes just like breast milk. Thankfully, it doesn't contain any of mom's actual milk -- or any milk substance at all, for that matter.
Lollyphile sampled breast milk in order to make a candied version of the flavour in an effort to learn something about human development.
The product is the result of a curiosity that first struck company founder Jason Darling when his friends started having kids. He noticed that breast milk seemed to pacify even the most lugubrious of infants.
Naturally, he decided to taste it for himself.
"It was really good, it was surprisingly good. It was fantastic actually," Darling told CTVNews.ca. "I hadn't had it in a while. I forgot what it tasted like."
Describing the flavour as similar to "rich almond milk" with a "hint of cinnamon," Darling sought to replicate it in candy form - working with flavour experts over the course of several months to perfect the taste.
The candy is aimed at adults hoping to let their taste buds take them on a walk down memory lane, but Darling said children also seem to enjoy the treat.
"They like them," he said. "But I'm never going to recommend feeding candy to breast-feeding children."
Lollyphile - which was founded in 2007 -- has made it its mission to specialize in unusual candy flavours. In addition to the breast milk treat, the company also makes lollipops that taste like bacon, absinthe, bourbon, habanero tequila and wasabi-ginger.
Food containing breast milk has caused controversy in recent years. In 2011, U.K. officials confiscated human breast milk ice cream called "Baby Gaga" from an ice cream parlour over concerns that it was unsafe to make dessert from bodily fluids.
That same year, a New York designer interested in sustainable agriculture invented a breast milk cheese called "Human Cheese."
In Canada, Health Canada has warned against the sharing of human breast milk over possible health risks: it can carry viruses like HIV or hepatitis or bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
Traces of prescription and non-prescription drugs can also be transmitted through milk, according to Health Canada.
Considering all the dangers, Lollyphile's artificially-flavoured lollipops just might be the next best thing.
You can buy four lollipops for $10, 12 for $24, or 36 for $58 on the company's website. And yes, they ship to Canada.
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