Breastfeeding advocates have slammed Lewis Road Creamery's new 'breast milk”.

In a bid to raise money for breast cancer research, Lewis Road – which originated in Whakatane – has branded its blue top 1.5 litre organic homogenised cow's milk with a red label reading: 'Breast Milk: the cow's milk that funds the cure”.

The Lewis Road Creamery ‘Breast milk' supporting Breast Cancer Cure. Photo: Lewis Road Creamery Facebook.

For every labelled bottle sold (RRP $6.09), Lewis Road will donate 20 cents to Breast Cancer Cure – the research foundation that originally pitched the idea to the dairy company.

The 'breast milk” will begin appearing on supermarket shelves from today.

However, New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority chief executive Julie Stufkens thinks the move is disrespectful towards women.

It inappropriately aligns cow milk with human milk, she says.

'Sadly, I think this is misguided advertising,” says Julie.

'Labelling a cow's milk product as breast milk is not acceptable.

'The product does not contain any human milk and does not come from a breast but an udder.”

Plunket advises against feeding cow's milk to babies under 12 months old, and Julie is concerned mothers could mistakenly purchase the product as a breast milk or formula alternative.

But Lewis Road spokeswoman Angela Weeks says the labelling was a 'bold” way to raise funds for a good cause.

The company does not intend to offend women or mislead the public.

'It clearly says ‘the cow's milk that funds the cure' on the front of the bottle and again references cow's milk on the back,” says Angela.

'Plus it is stocked in the fridge alongside our regular range of milks, so we are confident customers will see it for what it is – a fundraising initiative.”

The public have taken to the company's Facebook page to show their support with many saying it is a 'great campaign” and there is 'no such thing as bad publicity”.

University of Auckland senior marketing lecturer Dr Bodo Lang says the move is 'fantastically clever marketing”, but admits it could be confusing for buyers.

'The chances of truly misleading consumers is pretty low, but there is a bit of a danger in this,” says Bodo.

'There's bound to be a few who will misread the label.”

Bodo doesn't think there would be legal ramifications, and insists it is hard to prove deliberate consumer deception when other parts of the label clearly identified the product and it is sold beside other cow's milk brands.

The move is a cheap way for the small company to get significant exposure, he adds.

Lewis Road made headlines for weeks last year when its chocolate milk became so sought after it could not meet demand. Customers queued in supermarkets to get their hands on it.

The Commerce Commission said it would not look into the 'breast milk” label.