Legal via farm gate, vending machines, and packaged retail distribution under the Arrete du 13 juillet 2012. Prefectural authorization required with no volume or distance restrictions.
France has three legally distinct channels for raw milk sales, all governed by the Arrete du 13 juillet 2012 relatif aux conditions de production et de mise sur le marche de lait cru. Article 6 permits farm-packaged raw milk, sealed in hermetically closed individual containers, to be delivered to retail outlets. This is the basis for brands such as Bernard Gaborit distributing packaged raw milk through Biocoop and other specialist retailers nationwide.
Article 7 authorizes automated vending machines (distributeurs automatiques de lait cru) operated by individual farms, with daily milk replacement and temperature maintenance between 0°C and 4°C. Farm gate sales are also permitted. All channels require prefectural authorization, granted after verification of sanitary compliance. The authorization carries no time limit, volume restriction, or distance limitation from the producer.
Official government documents and legal resources for France
The primary French regulation governing raw milk production and marketing. Article 6 covers packaged retail distribution; Article 7 covers vending machines. In force from 1 October 2012.
View Official Resource →Official Ministry of Agriculture guidance on obtaining prefectural authorization to produce and sell raw milk in France.
View Official Resource →Search raw milk sources in France
Select a jurisdiction to view its specific regulations.
French law applies. Raw milk legal via farm gate, vending machines, and retail under the Arrêté du 13 juillet 2012. Local dairy production is limited given the territory's equatorial climate.
French law applies. Raw milk legal via farm gate, vending machines, and retail under the Arrêté du 13 juillet 2012. Local cattle farming present across the archipelago.
French law applies. Raw milk legal via farm gate, vending machines, and retail under the Arrêté du 13 juillet 2012. Small local dairy sector present.
French law applies following Mayotte's accession as a full overseas department in 2011. Raw milk legal under the Arrêté du 13 juillet 2012; local dairy production is minimal.
French law applies. Raw milk legal via farm gate, vending machines, and retail under the Arrêté du 13 juillet 2012. Active local dairy sector in the island's cooler upland regions.
Free, no paywalls, no private equity.
Keep this project going and growing.
Connect people with raw milk sources.
Every tip keeps real food accessible.
Please enter a valid email address to generate a secure payment form.
✓ You're supporting a free community resource. This is a tip/donation, not a purchase of milk or products.
Trusted by farms, local businesses, and startups nationwide.
Founder of the Slow Food movement, the Ark of Taste, and Terra Madre, Carlo Petrini spent four decades defending artisanal food traditions, raw milk cheeses, and the right to good food worldwide.
Raw milk is accessible in most US states. No vending machine network has developed in any of them. The reasons are structural: no machine-specific framework, a bottling default, shopping habits incompatible with raw milk’s shelf life, and farm geography.
Where to find raw milk vending machines across Europe by country, with local search terms and directory links. Covers Italy, France, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, and England.
Raw milk in France is available at the farm gate, from automated vending machines, and on the shelves of organic grocery stores, including Biocoop nationwide.
Switzerland’s federal food authorities have confirmed raw milk vending machines are permitted under a consumer information framework. Austria operates a formal inspection regime under AGES with mandatory boiling notices. Two Alpine approaches compared.
Squeezed by merchant pricing that paid farmers roughly 30 cents on the euro, Slovenian dairy farmers built a direct-sale raw milk vending network that now spans close to 70 locations nationwide.
