The Food and Drug Administration believes that unpasteurized cheeses are unsafe, and has undertaken regulation of milk and dairy products to prevent the risk of infectious disease outbreak. Some bacterial infections can kill, especially in the case of immunodeficient individuals. For this reason, the Administration believes that it is better to be safe than sorry, restricting access to potentially unsafe food products.
Many individual states have followed suit, banning or restricting the sale of raw dairy products within the state, and sometimes prosecuting violators quite heavily. Unauthorized sale of dairy products can result in the loss of the family farm, if farmers happen to meet with a particularly unsympathetic court. A rigorous inspection program carried out by the Food and Drug Administration is aimed at preventing bacterial contamination at any step of the milk producing process, with all dairies in the United States experiencing regular plant inspections.