She’s now a mother of three, but seven years ago, Janna Hattingh faced a familiar challenge for new moms.
“I had very little breast milk that I could pump but I didn’t want to lose any of it at all. My background was in nutrition and I was like, ‘I wonder if I could freeze-dry it,'” said Hattingh.
It took 18 months working with federal regulators to licence the niche service: freeze-drying breast milk from moms and surrogates for safe storage and transport back to parents. Between 2020 and 2025, shipments moved through regulated channels and across international borders without issue.
“I do a ton of travelling and I didn’t want my milk to expire and then it’s easier to mix in with solids,” said Lethbridge client Mackenzie Sailor.
But early in 2025 everything changed, following questions from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) specifically related to servicing surrogacy clients.
Get breaking National news
An inspection cited violations related to imports and food safety. Booby Food’s licence was suspended on March 5, 2025, and inspectors seized their products.
While documents show no confirmed contamination and no recall issued, the seized milk has not been returned.
Global News asked the CFIA why previously cleared shipments were later deemed non-compliant and what changed. The CFIA said, in a statement, that is still has the milk but “based on the conditions under which the product was handled and processed, that it could not be released without posing a potential risk to human health.”
The statement went on to say, “while commercial processing of human breast milk is an emerging activity, it is not unregulated, and existing legislation applies where food is prepared, imported, or traded. Earlier inspections did not reveal the same scope or severity of risk identified in 2025; however, new information and inspection findings led CFIA to conclude there was a risk to human health.”
Hattingh maintains that, despite repeated requests, inspectors haven’t yet disclosed to her what conditions of operation aren’t meeting current standards and what changes she could make to resume her business.
After a 15-month ordeal, Hattingh is moving out and subleasing her lab, having sold 16 of her 17 freeze driers. She launched a GoFundMe in the hope of rebuilding.
“I started out with one freeze drier and built up a great business,” said Hattingh. “And I can do that again with one freeze drier. And that’s what I plan on doing.”
Another hitjob by CFIA.
Ms. Hattingh comes up with a brilliant idea to help thousands of mothers CFIA comes in, no doubt because they want her idea. They have tried for 15months to shut her down and literally can’t make any of their ‘complaints’ stick because she’s done everything perfectly by the book. David vs. Goliath.
Just a few decades ago a person could buy milk from farmers directly if they wanted. These days with the supply management and regulations only the corporate farms can afford to meet all the requirements Canada has to sell milk.
It looks like the government is starting to apply regulations to mothers milk which will result in large corporations only ones allowed in the market.
Keep it simple stoopud
But there was no re call? So how was the owner being unsafe? Seems like in the video CFIA was the ones handling it unsafe.
I don’t get it – why would it be a risk to human health without contamination or recalls?
That doesn’t make sense…??