Milk and dairy products are high-quality foods that are often an excellent source of intact protein and important minerals. However, high nutrients and low acidity make milk a great medium for microbial growth. Heat treatment of milk is a key control point for killing pathogenic microorganisms, but it also causes the destruction of important nutrients. Pasteurization is a mild heat treatment that maximally preserves milk quality while killing pathogens. Currently, alkaline phosphatase activity is widely used to ensure the sufficiency of milk pasteurization. This paper reviews some of the worldwide latest standards for pasteurized milk. We compare and analyze the pasteurized milk standards in China and other major dairy producers like the United States, European countries and Australia. To conclude this review, we present some suggestions for improving China’s pasteurized milk standards.