Moroccan law explicitly requires all milk for human consumption to be industrially pasteurized under Decree No. 2-00-425 (2000) and Law No. 28-07 on food safety. ONSSA enforces for licensed facilities. Informal peri-urban sales are tolerated in practice but the legal prohibition is clear.
Morocco's dairy regulatory framework explicitly prohibits the sale of raw milk for human consumption. Decree No. 2-00-425 of December 7, 2000 on the control of milk production and sale, and implementing regulations under Law No. 28-07 relating to food safety, state that all milk destined for human consumption must be industrially pasteurized. The Office National de Securite Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires (ONSSA) is the national food safety authority responsible for enforcement, and has reiterated the pasteurization requirement in public communications.
Despite the explicit statutory prohibition, Moroccan authorities tolerate direct raw milk sales by cattle farms through informal circuits, particularly in peri-urban supply basins near major cities. Traditional milk shops operating informally exist near urban centers. Approximately 80% of Moroccan milk output escapes industrial processing, consumed on-farm or sold through these informal local circuits. ONSSA enforcement focuses on licensed dairy facilities rather than suppressing informal sales universally. A 2025 TB scare linked to unpasteurized milk consumption prompted renewed official warnings, but no sustained enforcement campaign against informal sales has been documented.
Official government documents and legal resources for Morocco
Moroccan decree governing the control of milk production and commercialization, establishing the pasteurization requirement for all milk sold for human consumption.
View Official Resource →Moroccan food safety law under which dairy product safety standards and the pasteurization requirement for consumer milk are administered.
View Official Resource →
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