On 23rd January 2013 The Food Standards Agency [FSA] confirmed its intentions to prosecute Selfridges, London and the farmer who supplied them with raw milk via a vending machine in their foodhall between December 2011 and April 2012.   They are taking this action as they believe Selfridges, London and Stephen Hook of Hook and Sons, are in breach of the Food Hygiene England Regulations 2006.

HUSH wrote to the FSA on a number of occasions in relation to this,  saying that we believed it was a clear breach of the law. 

In addition, the charity expressed its views to the Food Standards Agency that we believe the internet sales of raw milk to certain postal codes in Scotland by two raw milk producers is also illegal as the sale of raw milk has been banned in Scotland since the 1st August 1983.

The charity has always believed, along with overwhelming scientific evidence throughout the world, that raw/unpasteurised milk is an extremely dangerous product and that we would prefer it to be banned because of the dangerous bacterium that can be contained within it.  It is known by some scientists as 'Liquid Manure'.

Whilst the charity has no wish to restrict personal individual choice for those who are aware of its dangers and still wish to drink it, the charity is extremely concerned about those who may drink it and are unaware of its dangers, especially the most vulnerable groups i.e. the young, the elderly, pregnant women and those with an immune compromised system.  In many cases and outbreaks, people who are unaware of the dangers, including some of our charity members, have been given this to drink. Some don't just get a simple tummy bug, it can lead to kidney damage, brain damage, long term health problems and can be fatal.

From previous surveys done by the charity, it appears that generally people are unaware what the term raw/unpasteurised means and what dangers its products can present.

The charity has sympathy for Dairy Milk Farmers who are given an extremely poor price for their milk that is sent for pasteurisation and believe that this is an issue   the Government need to address on their behalf. One which HUSH would be happy to support.

Whilst the suppliers of raw/unpasteurised milk claim its great benefits, this is clearly being dispelled by a leaflet issued in 2012 by the United States Food and Drug Administration. This leaflet can be accessed at:

https://www.fda.gov/media/119383/download