ISIRI standards require pasteurization for commercially sold milk, but raw milk is openly sold in retail markets across Iran in practice. A study in Shiraz province found 18.75% of raw milk retail samples positive for Brucella, confirming widespread informal distribution. Cultural preference for fresh unprocessed milk is strong.
Iran's food safety framework is administered by the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI), which sets dairy standards including ISIRI 292:2015 (dairy product specifications) and ISIRI 1554:2019 (pasteurized milk). These standards set explicit microbiological limits for pasteurized consumer milk (E. coli absent; aerobic plate count not exceeding 7.5x10^4 cfu/mL) and indicate pasteurization as the expected norm for commercially sold milk. The Iran Veterinary Organization oversees animal health at the farm level.
In practice, raw milk is openly sold in retail markets throughout Iran. A study conducted in Shiraz province found 18.75% of raw milk samples from retail sources positive for Brucella, confirming that raw milk is available through informal retail channels despite formal standards requiring pasteurization. Cultural preference for fresh unprocessed milk is widespread, with many Iranian consumers associating pasteurized milk with inferior taste and nutritional quality. Rural, nomadic, and agricultural communities consume raw milk from cows, goats, sheep, and camels as a traditional norm. Raw camel milk is present in the informal market; the first documented isolation of Brucella abortus from Iranian camel milk has been reported in scientific literature.
Official government documents and legal resources for Iran
Iranian national standard for pasteurized milk, setting microbiological and quality limits for commercially sold consumer milk. Pasteurization is the required standard for formal commercial dairy distribution. Standard formerly administered by ISIRI, now under INSO.
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