Who oversees milk banks in the US?
The Human Milk Banking Association of North America is the umbrella association of which most non-profit milk banks in the US are members. HMBANA has developed guidelines for the establishment and operation of human milk banks that all member milk banks are required to follow. These guidelines have been developed in consultation with representatives of the CDC, FDA, and Infectious Disease Committees of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The guidelines are reviewed and updated every two years, or sooner for emergent tissue transplant issues. Currently there is no federal regulation of donor milk banks; only the States of California and New York have regulations that require that a donor milk bank be a licensed tissue bank and regulated by the state Health Department.
