Storyboard: Episode 50 – Liquid Gold

Writer Judy Dutton was running out of room in her freezer. Extra breast milk crowded out family staples like hotdogs and hamburgers. So she did what many mothers are doing: she turned to the Internet to get rid of it. Dutton found a new crop of websites that cater to women in just her situation. But she didn’t stop at trying to sell her own milk. Instead, she began investigating the world of breast milk as a commodity, and discovered an emerging niche market with its own factions and controversies. Should women be paid for taking the trouble to pump? How much screening does milk need to be safe? It is ethical for companies to profit on a food that studies increasingly show is unique and important for babies’ development? Should insurance cover breast milk? Dutton takes on these questions and more in the June issue of Wired magazine. And today on the podcast, she gives the inside story to host Adam Rogers. Drink up.