No specific statutory prohibition on raw milk consumer sales has been identified. Raw milk consumption is near-universal across most of the country; the formal pasteurized sector serves only major cities. Extensive pastoralist communities (Afar, Somali, Oromo) consume raw milk and camel milk as dietary staples.
Ethiopia's food safety framework is administered by the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) under Food and Medicine Administration Proclamation No. 1112/2019 (successor to Proclamation 661/2009), with standards aligned to Codex Alimentarius guidelines through the Ethiopian Standards Agency. Pasteurization is promoted as the standard for processed commercial milk in Ethiopia's formal dairy sector.
No specific statutory provision explicitly prohibiting raw milk direct consumer sales has been identified in the Ethiopian regulatory framework. Raw milk consumption is near-universal across most of the country: the formal pasteurized dairy sector serves only a small fraction of the population, primarily in Addis Ababa and major cities, while the vast majority of milk is sold and consumed raw through informal channels. Academic research shows informal raw milk traders typically pay farmers higher prices than formal buyers, sustaining the informal market. Ethiopia's extensive pastoralist communities, including Afar, Somali, and Oromo pastoralists, have long-established traditions of consuming raw milk and camel milk as dietary staples, and operate entirely outside the formal regulatory framework.
Official government documents and legal resources for Ethiopia
Ethiopia's primary food safety legislation, establishing the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority and the national framework for food safety standards including those applicable to dairy products.
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