Many American consumers have lamented their inability to obtain traditionally produced raw milk cheeses made with unpasteurized milks. Unpasteurized cheeses are severely restricted in the United States, with different states having varying regulations about the sale and consumption of raw dairy products. Many culinary guerrillas have smuggled raw milk cheeses into the United States, and cooks with connections can sometimes obtain unpasteurized cheeses, for a price.

The United States Food and Drug Administration governs the consumption of raw milk products, in concert with the United States Department of Agriculture. According to federal law, raw milk cannot be transported across state lines with the intent of human consumption. Unpasteurized cheeses are actually legal, as long as they have been aged at least 60 days in an environment held at 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius). During the aging process, the cheese becomes more acidic, killing most potential sources of bacterial infection.

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.

Some consumers feel that the consumption of potentially unsafe food is an individual choice, and it is relatively easy to find unaged unpasteurized cheeses in the United States, especially in urban areas which experience a high volume of traffic from cheese-loving nations like France and Italy. The United States Customs Service is responsible for apprehending illegal cheese before it crosses the United States border, but many agents are not trained to recognize unpasteurized cheeses.

Young unpasteurized cheeses tend to be more complex than their pasteurized counterparts, and for this reason they are highly sought after by consumers. The Food and Drug Administration has threatened numerous times to restrict the sale of aged unpasteurized cheeses as well, which might result in a global outcry, as many of the paragons of European cheese are made with raw milk.