LONDON -- Local government officials said Monday they have confiscated ice cream made with human breast milk from a London shop amid concerns the dessert is unsafe.
A spokeswoman from Westminster City Council said it was responding to two complaints from the public over whether a shop should be selling edibles made from other people's bodily fluids and awaiting guidance from Britain's Food Standards Agency. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with council policy.
The official said the ice cream, marketed as "Baby Gaga" and launched last week, is being tested with the full cooperation of The Icecreamists, the parlor marketing the dessert.
Viruses, including hepatitis, can be passed on through breast milk.
The company has said that the milk was screened in line with blood donor requirements before being pasteurized and churned together with vanilla pods and lemon zest. The dish comes in a martini glass and sells for 14 pounds ($22.50) each.
"As far as we are aware there is no law prohibiting a business from selling breast milk ice cream," Matt O'Connor, founder of The Icecreamists, said in a statement.
The company paid women who responded to an online ad to donate their breast milk and said all of its products meet the "highest and safest" of food standards.
The company said it has had a "huge response" to its "fresh take" on the world of ice cream. The Icecreamists said at the time that its "Baby Gaga" ice cream sold out as soon as it launched on Friday, but that women had signed up to donate more milk.
Local British councillors have reported that they have seized ice cream made from the  that had been placed on sale in a shop located in London, England, United Kingdom. Officials cited concerns relating to health and safety.

A  spokeswoman explained that two complaints made by members of the public were being replied to by the council. The Icecreamists, the marketing company involved with the dessert known as 'Baby Gaga', are fully co-operating with officials who are carrying out tests that are currently ongoing. According to Brian Connell, an individual from the council, "selling foodstuffs made from another person's bodily fluids can lead to viruses being passed on and, in this case, potentially ." 

A serving of the ice cream is valued at 14 (US$22.76, €16.49) and is provided in a . The item became available to purchase during the last week and quickly increased in popularity; within days, the first shipment was sold out.

The breast milk was donated by fifteen women who responded to an online advertisement located on a forum aimed at mothers. According to the company, all milk is screened for the "highest and safest" standards before it is  and prepared for human consumption. It is then mixed with the  of lemons and vanilla seed cases.

Matt O'Connor, who founded the Icecreamists, stated: "As far as we are aware there is no law prohibiting a business from selling breast milk ice cream". He claimed that "if it's good enough for our children, it's good enough for the rest of us" and "some people will hear about it and go yuck - but actually it's pure organic, free-range and totally natural." Brian Connell, a member of the the Conservative Party in the UK, believes that "as the local authority we will support small businesses and applaud innovative ideas wherever possible, but must protect the health of consumers."