A new raw milk dispenser at Selfridges’ flagship store may have to be removed after the Food Standards Agency claimed sale of the milk contravened food hygiene legislation.

Selfridges installed the dispenser - which operates as a concession of Sussex farmer Hook & Son - on Wednesday.

However, on the same day, the FSA informed Selfridges - through Westminster City Council - that it could not sell raw milk. “We checked the regulations with our legal team and decided it wasn’t permitted,” an FSA spokeswoman confirmed.

The FSA claimed that the sale of the raw milk conflicted with Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006, Schedule 6, which states that raw milk can only be sold directly to consumers from the farm where it was produced, or at a farmers market. It can also be sold from a vehicle classed as a shop premises, such as a milk float.

As The Grocer went to press, Selfridges was standing its ground. “The sale of raw milk is permitted at farmers markets and market stalls, which is very much like our Selfridges Food Hall,” said a spokeswoman. Hook & Son was a credible dairy farm and Selfridges had stringent checks in place to ensure the milk met relevant standards, she added.

Consumers pay £3.50 for a litre and £2 for half a litre of the milk.

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