Celebrity chef Pete Evans has shot down claims he condones replacing human breast milk with camel’s milk when feeding newborn babies.

On Thursday News Corp outlets quoted the My Kitchen Rules judge as saying camel’s milk is “nearly identical in its total composition to human milk” and able to replace breast milk.

“It’s nearly identical in its total composition to human milk and as such may prove useful where supplementing regular breastfeeding might be necessary, as well as a non-immune reactive dairy alternative,” Evans was quoted as saying.

However, in an email to The New Daily, a representative for Evans and his company, The Paleo Way, said the chef “only champions human breast milk for babies”.

“[W]e do not encourage milk from any other animal. I would encourage parents to read the ingredients on the label of a lot of infant formulas and baby foods,” the email stated.

The representative also sent through a passage taken from The Paleo Way promoting the benefits of human breast milk above all.

“There is no doubt breast milk is the very best first food for your baby,” the passage read.

“It is liquid gold. Not only is it filled with absolutely everything your child needs to thrive, but it includes, (unlike any other food sources) antibodies to protect your child. That’s why mummas milk is so golden.

“If breastfeeding is not possible, we encourage looking into breast milk banks where breast milk is supplied from other mothers to feed bubs who would not otherwise be able to have breast milk.”

Evans took to Facebook to clear up the confusion, accusing the media of “once again making up stories”.

A string of controversies

The Sydney-based chef is a controversial figure thanks to his passion for “the Paleo way” – a diet which involves eating only the food available to cavemen in paleolithic times like unprocessed meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, and avoiding dairy or cereal products.

Evans has developed a large following thanks to his role as co-host on Seven’s MKR and has used his platform to promote other contentious opinions, including that sunscreen is full of dangerous chemicals and that infants should drink bone broth.

Recently, he came under fire for telling a woman with osteoporosis to give up dairy and “eat the paleo way” because “calcium from dairy can remove calcium from your bones”.

Can camels actually help?

For the record, the experts say swapping human breast milk for camel’s milk is not the greatest idea, given the complete lack of evidence in support of it.

“There’s decades of research that human breast milk is better for babies,” Dr Tim Senior, a GP from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, says.

“You can’t ignore that research. As doctors we don’t like just making stuff up because we worry about harming people.

“Recommending camel’s milk is a complete stab in the dark … You wouldn’t know how safe it was or what the manufacturing conditions were.”

For mothers struggling with their breast milk supply, Dr Senior suggests talking to a midwife or GP or trying formula which has been tested to ensure its safety.