FSA to Prosecute Retailer over Raw-Milk Vending Machines

The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) will reportedly prosecute a department
store for installing raw-milk vending machines at its flagship London location.
According to a January 23, 2013, FSA press release, the agency has sought
charges against Selfridges Retail Limited as “a person other than the occupier
of a production holding or distributor” under Regulation 32 and Schedule
6 Paragraph (2)(1) of the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations. FSA has also
included the farmer who supplied the milk as “an occupier of a production
holding” under Regulation 32 and Schedule 6(2)(2). Westminster Magistrates
Court has set the hearing date for February 6, 2013.

The vending machines reportedly came to FSA’s attention in 2011, when the agency initiated an investigation of the retailer and demanded that the unpasteurized milk products carry a warning label. Under current regulations, farmers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can sell raw cow’s milk directly to consumers at farms or farmers’ markets, although all such sales are banned in Scotland. “We have always supported unique products like raw milk,” one Selfridges spokesperson was quoted as saying. “We see ourselves, like many farmers’ markets, as a platform to launch a variety of choice for our customers to enjoy.” See The Guardian, January 23, 2013.