Extensive informal artisanal raw milk sector centered in the Bekaa Valley. Ministry of Agriculture farm registration is required but no retail-level pasteurization mandate is consistently enforced. Lebanon became home to the region's first RAWMI-listed dairy in December 2025.
Lebanon's dairy regulatory framework operates under Food Safety Law No. 35 of 2015, with farm registration administered by the Ministry of Agriculture's Directorate of Animal Resources. Farms must register and demonstrate animal health compliance including brucellosis and tuberculosis screening. However, a retail-level pasteurization mandate with meaningful enforcement has not been identified in available regulatory sources, and Lebanese food safety authorities have themselves acknowledged the difficulty of regulating the informal dairy sector given its scale.
Raw milk and raw-milk artisanal products are extensively produced and sold throughout Lebanon, particularly in the Bekaa Valley, which holds approximately 44% of the country's farmland and 75-80% of the national dairy herd. Traditional products including laban (fermented milk), labneh (strained yogurt), halloumi, akkawi, kishk, and ambriss are made from raw milk by household producers and small dairies, and sold to neighbors, village shops, and local markets. A tri-ministry committee has been established to address unlicensed dairy sales, but practical enforcement remains limited. In December 2025, Fresh Flow Farm became Lebanon's first dairy to achieve RAWMI (Raw Milk Institute) listing, the 64th globally, demonstrating that internationally recognized raw milk safety practices are being implemented and the sector is developing formal standards.
Latest developments and news related to raw milk in Lebanon
Fresh Flow Farm becomes Lebanon's first RAWMI-listed dairy, implementing on-farm testing and disease screening protocols that bring international raw milk safety standards to the country for the first time.
Read Article →Official government documents and legal resources for Lebanon
Lebanon's primary food safety legislation, under which dairy farm registration and animal health requirements are administered by the Directorate of Animal Resources.
View Official Resource →Search for raw milk sources near popular locations in Lebanon
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