Excelência em bancos de leite humano: uma visão do futuro--the First International Congress on Human Milk Banking

The first International Congress of Human Milk Banks--Excellence in Human Milk Banking: A Vision of the Future, held in Brazil in June 2000 and sponsored by the Brazilian Association of Milk Banks, had representation from milk banks in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Venezuela, France, the United Kingdom, and North America as well as Brazil. A recurring theme in the discussion of donor milk banking was the role of each country's milk banks in the promotion and support of breastfeeding. The Brazilian National Reference Milk Bank and the growth of donor milk banking in Brazil over the past 15 years were described, including federal regulation that all milk bank directors be trained and certified. Milk banking systems in France, the United Kingdom, Venezuela and the Caribbean, and North America were also discussed. Similarities and differences in the donor screening process and the regulation of milk banks in the countries is presented.