A mum who makes smoothies from new mums' placentas is being investigated by public health officials.
Kathryn Beale, 41, produces the drinks for new mothers from their own afterbirths for around £25 each.
The mother-of-two insists the smoothies, produced as soon after the delivery as possible, are perfectly safe and that they have many benefits.
But health officials are attempting to ban them because they're worried about potential 'serious health risks'.
Mum-of-two Kathryn, from Swindon, Wiltshire, has offered to stop making the drinks until she's been visited by food hygiene inspectors.
To make the smoothies, Kathryn visits the new mother in their own home or private hospital room as soon after the birth as possible.
She puts a couple of pound-coin sized pieces of the placenta into the blender and mixes it with fruit, including berries and bananas.
What is left can then be dehydrated, ground into powder and put into capsules for the new mother to take.
Kathryn – who started making smoothies after meeting the founder of the Independent Placenta Encapsulation Network – said: "Women who want to use their placentas are tested during pregnancy, and if we know the placenta carries any blood-born pathogens we will not use it."
Since the contact from Swindon Council she has 'voluntarily stopped taking bookings until they approve everything'.
Kathryn added: "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 their placenta 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."
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."
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