Quality Control
Ensuring the safety and quality of our products for your baby is our foremost commitment. It's important to note that not all freeze-drying services employ identical processes. Continue reading to learn about what sets us apart from others in the industry.
Our Process
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We never touch your milk!
Breast milk requires sterile handling in order to prevent contamination during processing. This includes before, during, and after its time in the freeze-dryer. Nourishy is the only company to have a completely contact-free process from start to finish (absolutely no contact with equipment or utensils at any point in the process).
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Specialized Freeze-Dry Pouches
Each bag of frozen milk you provide to Nourishy is processed individually inside a specially-designed freeze-drying pouch (our patent-pending SafeDry pouches). Our SafeDry pouches allow water vapor to escape while protecting your milk from contamination. We do not pool milk on trays for processing and each bag you send to Nourishy becomes its own pouch of powder. The SafeDry pouches that protect the breast milk during processing and packaging at Nourishy are specially manufactured and our patent-pending process has not been licensed out to any other companies.
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Individual Bag Tracking
We meticulously monitor every batch of frozen breast milk from the moment it arrives until it's ready for use. Each Bag ID is assigned exclusively to your milk, and we handle each bag separately. This way, even during the freeze-drying process, your milk is tagged with your name and its own distinct tracking number. We maintain a strict quality control protocol to guarantee that there is no contact between your milk and our equipment, preventing any possibility of cross-contamination.
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Sterile Handling and Trained Technicians
Nourishy's Certified experts operate within ISO5 cleanroom environments, employing aseptic methods to guarantee the absence of any contamination during the packaging phase. Each bag undergoes meticulous manual packaging, ensuring they are sealed individually in single-use pouches (without the use of powder dispensers). We handle each order independently, ensuring there is no possibility of cross-contact between your milk and that of another client at any stage of our process.
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Temperature Control
Breast milk is kept frozen at all times while in the Nourishy facility. The temperature of your milk is recorded at arrival, and freezer temperatures are remotely monitored and logged to ensure that the milk is kept at a safe temperature at all times. Freezers are equipped with backup generators in case of power outage.
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Quality Control Testing
In our conclusive quality assurance step, we utilize a professional-grade water activity meter to precisely gauge the moisture content of your breast milk powder. This meticulous examination guarantees that the freeze-drying procedure effectively eliminates moisture from the milk. This is how we ascertain that, when stored appropriately in a cool, dry location, your breast milk powder will maintain its shelf stability for a period of up to three years without the need for refrigeration.
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Our People
The Nourishy processing team has over 40 combined years of sterile handling expertise and all of Nourishy 's processing technicians are either trained research laboratory personnel or medical professionals who have years of experience in sterile handling techniques. Only these highly trained personnel with active food safety certifications process the milk and follow strict protocols regulating personnel hygiene, personal protective gear, and equipment sanitization to ensure that your milk is handled safely from start to finish.
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Science
Scientifically backed and tested: The processing protocol used by Nourishy was designed by Dr. Berkley Luck, an expert in sterile handling. The process is based on decades of scientific research and was extensively tested for over a year.
Approved by experts: Nourishy's process has been reviewed by Food Safety experts, Medical Doctors, our Scientific Advisory Board, Registered Dieticians, and Certified Lactation Consultants. Freeze-drying is also used by human milk donor banks worldwide, who have shown freeze-drying to be a safe and effective way to preserve breast milk.