Safe management of expressed breast milk

The Sax Institute has published Evidence check: safe management of expressed breast milk. The authors summarise the evidence on this topic in hospitals, the home and in the community and conclude that expressed breast milk can be safely stored at -20 degrees Celsius for up to 12 months, however frozen storage at any temperature will result in degradation of the immunological components of EBM that provide protection against contamination.

An extensive literature review revealed that the main issues were the possible contamination of EBM due to improper handling, the loss of nutritional value during transport and storage and the small risk that the "wrong baby" might receive milk from someone other than their mother.

The results of this review uphold many of the findings and recommendations of the current policy developed by NSW Health (Maternity – Breast Milk: Safe Management) and the latest NHMRC infant feeding guidelines.