No formal licensing pathway for raw milk retail exists under UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 29 of 2018. In practice, farm-direct and grey-market raw milk sales are accessible: delivery services openly advertise unpasteurized cow, goat, camel, and buffalo milk. Raw camel milk from family farms is widely consumed; a 2022 study found 58% of camel milk consumers in the UAE drink it unpasteurized.
UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 29 of 2018 governs the control of milk and dairy products and prohibits the commercial sale of raw milk for direct consumer consumption. Enforcement is shared across the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), Dubai Municipality, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), and the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA). The UAE follows GSO 984:2015 for pasteurized milk.
In practice, farm-direct and informal raw milk sales are accessible to consumers in the UAE. Grey-market services openly advertise unpasteurized cow, goat, sheep, camel, and buffalo milk with home delivery in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Raw camel milk represents a particularly significant channel: a 2022 cross-sectional study (PMC9305078) found that 58.4% of UAE camel milk consumers drink it unpasteurized, with almost half purchasing directly from family farms. The study concluded that "regulations on the processing and handling of farm camel milk are lacking," and in 2024 the Codex Alimentarius Commission approved the UAE's proposal to develop the first international standard for pasteurized camel milk, confirming that no binding raw-versus-pasteurized camel milk standard yet exists internationally. The established commercial camel milk sector (Camelicious and similar brands) uses flash pasteurization and operates under FSSC 22000 certification.
Official government documents and legal resources for United Arab Emirates
UAE cabinet resolution governing the control of milk and dairy products, under which raw milk sales to consumers are prohibited and pasteurization is required for commercial dairy.
View Official Resource →GCC harmonized standard requiring pasteurization for commercially sold consumer milk across all six Gulf Cooperation Council member states.
View Official Resource →Search for raw milk sources near popular locations in United Arab Emirates
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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.
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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.
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