Implementation guidance on donor human milk banking: organizational characteristics and regulatory classification

Overview

When mother’s own milk is not available, WHO recommends donor human milk for feeding preterm or low-birth-weight infants, preferably supplied through an established human milk bank. WHO and UNICEF have developed this implementation guidance to support the development and expansion of safe, equitable and context-appropriate human milk banking systems as part of comprehensive strategies and programmes to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Building on the WHO Standards for Donor Human Milk Banking, the guidance explores key operational considerations and priorities for establishing human milk banking systems in a variety of settings.

The document examines the objectives that shape human milk banking systems, including ensuring an adequate supply of donor human milk, maintaining safety and quality, facilitating lactation support, optimizing costs, and aligning implementation with policy, regulatory, cultural and societal contexts. It also describes the main organizational characteristics of different human milk banking models and reviews alternative regulatory approaches to donor human milk to help countries design sustainable systems adapted to their health system context. The target audience includes ministries of health and programme teams, including policy-makers, donors, programme planners, professional associations and nongovernmental organizations.