Conformity assessment of health quality of some traditional dairy products with national standards and health regulations of home businesses

The health concerns of the Food and Drug Organization and the imposition of strict health regulations have prevented the establishment of many home-based food businesses, including local dairy products, in Iran. This approach has caused the lack of development of this sector of rural and nomadic industries and even the loss of local knowledge of the production of some of these products, which is very worrying. The purpose of this research was to assess the conformity of some traditional dairy products with the national standard and health regulations of home businesses in order to help the development of entrepreneurship in this field. In this study, conformity assessment was done by the independent assessment method (third person). Initially, the legal requirements, i.e., the national standards related to dairy products and production health regulations, were selected and compiled. The sampling of products and measurement of physicochemical and microbial characteristics were carried out based on relevant national standards. Then, the degree of conformity of these products with the legal requirements (national standards) was determined by matching the findings with the standard limits. Based on the obtained results, the health conditions of Lighvan cheese, Jug cheese, skin cheese, Salmas cheese, Arushe, Kashk, Qaraqrout, Chiko, Tof, Dogh and ghee products were in good agreement with the national standard criteria. Therfore, these products can be consumed without worrying about microbial and heavy metals contamination. The development of these products in the form of home businesses can play an important role in creating employment and improving the economy of rural areas.