A WOMAN who makes smoothies and capsules from raw human placenta for new mothers is being investigated by council Public Protection officers.

Last week Swindon Council applied for a hygiene emergency prohibition order (HEPO) for 41-year-old Kathryn Beale, of Dulverton Avenue.

Since the ‘birth partner’ and organiser of The Big Latch On has no clients booked, it was considered there was no immediate risk to public safety and the application was refused.

Kathryn said she had been involved in placentophagy for around two years after meeting the founder of the Independent Placenta Encapsulation Network (IPEN).

“The placenta is basically washed, sliced up and dehydrated before being ground into powder and put into capsules for the mum to take, and only the mum,” she said.

“The woman owns her own placenta and hands it over to me. I do the smoothies as well, but they are not as popular.

“Most species of mammal eat their own placenta straight after birth, raw.

“It is normal in the animal kingdom, so we are unusual in that we don’t routinely do it. It is full of iron, stem cells and hormones, and is reputed to help with milk production and post-natal depression.”

IPEN practitioners, who usually work from their own homes, charge £150 for capsules and £25 to make a placenta smoothie.

In May 2014 Dacorum Borough Council successfully served a HEPO on IPEN, and Judge Annabel Pilling said: “While handling, storage and production by the mother would be domestic in nature, IPEN is a food business operator and cannot rely on the intimate nature of its business as providing an exemption from the requirements of regulatory supervision.”

Kathryn said proper checks existed to minimise risk.

“Women are tested during pregnancy, and if we know the placenta carries any blood-born pathogens we will not use it,” she said.

“The placenta stays with the mum in cold bags with ice packs. I collect them very quickly, usually within 24 hours.”

Public Protection officers will revisit Kathryn next Wednesday.

“I have voluntarily stopped taking bookings until they approve everything,” she said.

“I am assuming I will get a food hygiene rating, provided they do not decide to close me down.

“I do not believe I am doing anything that puts myself or the public in any danger. There are more than 50 people around the UK doing the same thing.

“When I do this it is a more time-consuming process because I have to follow the right procedures and constantly wash my hands. Mums will often take theirs home and cook it or bury it in the garden.

“If I am doing it at least it is safer, because it needs to be thoroughly dehydrated to kill all the germs.”

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: “We can confirm Public Protection officers attended court on Tuesday, March 10 seeking a hygiene emergency prohibition order in respect of raw human placenta practices. The order was not granted on this occasion.

“Our investigations continue and we are therefore unable to comment further at this stage.

“While the health benefits of this activity are not clear, the processes involved in the production of human placenta for human consumption present a number of potentially serious health risks, which explains this action.”