U.S. citizens consumed an average of 23 gallons of bovine milk in 2001. Quite an astonishing amount when you consider that Homo sapiens
are the only organisms known to consume milk beyond infancy. Even more
extraordinary is the fact that humans are the only organisms that
consume the milk of other animals!
Female mothers in the Class Mammalia produce nutrient-rich milk for
consumption by their own newborn babies. Humans have attained the
unique (and bizarre) position in the food web from which they exploit the
reproductive cycle of other animals (particularly Bovidae) for food.
Adding to the cultural mystique of milk consumption is the widely held
taboo against consumption of human breast milk either by unrelated
individuals or persons beyond some generally unspecified age.
It is the mission of MMICCo. to challenge the traditional paradigm that
there is nothing abnormal about conversion of mammalian milk into
luxury food items. Mother's milk is a natural creation that we should
celebrate, but is the milk of other species truly fair game for human
consumption? If so, why isn't human milk? Our hope is to provide a delicious frozen product while
framing this conversation in a way that leads to fruitful progress in
consideration of the ecological niche of Homo sapiens.