A food business operator has been prevented from processing raw placenta for human consumption by the courts.
District Judge Annabel Piling from Watford Magistrates Court issued her judgement on Wednesday, granting Dacorum Borough Council, who filed the action, a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order on Independent Placenta Encapsulation Network (IPEN) to prevent the risk to the public’s health.
Placenta has long been believed to provide numerous health benefits, such as balancing hormones, replenishing the nutrients lost in childbirth and boosting milk production, to name a few. IPEN processes placenta for consumption by mothers after birth, turning the discarded organ into easy-to-swallow capsules or even smoothies.
Dacorum applied to the court for the order after it was found that the business was not following the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006, and the smoothies and capsules were considered a health risk.
Cllr Neil Harden said: ‘We took this action in order to protect public health by ensuring that food products from establishments in the borough are safe to eat and will not cause disease or ill health.
‘I am pleased that this outcome means that we have set a standard for businesses that deal with raw, processed or cooked placenta.’
The two orders served to IPEN prohibit the use of unprocessed (raw) or processed (cooked) placenta in foods for human consumption.
