While London store Icecreamists convinced the media its mother's milk flavor, dubbed "Baby Gaga," was "sold out," it seems someone was lying: the produced ice cream's been seized by local government officials in the UK.
Not only did word magically circulate through the press, that the new and controversial breast milk flavor was "sold out" -- in turn creating even more buzz for the shop -- but the Covent Garden storefront has included a sign reading: "Baby Gaga Breast Milk Ice Cream Sold Out Pending New Supplies."
Either the ice cream shop has been lying from the get-go about a supposedly sold-out status, or those rather hard-to-get "supplies" (originally received from women responding to an online ad) made it to the parlor in record time -- at least in the nick of time for government authorities to seize the already-produced ice cream that's been made from the breast milk of 15 different women.
The product, made from mother's milk of women whom simply responded to an online ad, has been officially confiscated from the ice cream store. Ad respondents were paid for the breast milk "donations," with donors via the European-based website for mothers of mumsnet.com .
Supposedly the "Baby Gaga" ice cream sold out on exactly the same day, by lunchtime no less -- a statement that was obviously untrue. With a donor whom supposedly provided the first 30 ounces of breast milk, which was stated to be enough to create 50 servings of the ice cream, supply should have run aplenty: with approximately 15 paid women donating to the "cause," the numbers should add up to roughly 750 servings available from the current "supplies" accrued by the Icecreamists shop. That would mean that the parlor would've sold 750 servings of the "Baby Gaga" flavor in just hours from opening.
At 14 pounds per serving, the (supposed) numbers would also mean that the Icecreamists shop had done over 10,000 pounds (over $17,000) just by mid-day -- which would make an ice cream shop very, very profitable indeed, and the idea very unlikely.
Since Friday, the ice cream store's sign read that the dessert was sold out "pending supplies," yet there somehow plenty on hand for government officials to confiscate on Monday.
Public concerns that the Icecreamists' "dessert" is unsafe prompted the seizure, a Westminster City Council spokesman confirming at least two complaints concerning safety and whether a food shop should be selling edibles produced from other people's bodily fluids. Word from Britain's Food Standards Agency, who has yet to weigh in on the controversy, will seal the deal.
Though obviously skilled with a genius in marketing via PR, it seems the founder may not have considered what could prove a severe downside to his breast milk ice cream creation: at least one potential health hazard that includes a possible spread of viruses like hepatitis that can be passed through breast milk.
While the government confirms that the Icecreamists store is fully cooperating with testing, it's not seeming likely that those "pending supplies" are arriving any time soon -- for a second batch.