This work is a detailed survey of food safety issues today, from E-coli contamination in fruits and vegetables to food production practices that increase antibiotic resistance. Is our food safe? Much of the corn, soybeans, and canola oil we eat has been genetically modified, but we don't know the long-term effects of GM foods on our health and the environment. We also consume antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria through the meat we eat, and we face new threats like mad cow disease, avian flu, and bioterrorism. Food Safety: A Reference Handbook, Second Edition provides a broad, readable, and level-headed overview of these and other food safety controversies. Through a combination of statistics and substantive information, it delineates the nature and scope of the issues. It also introduces readers to the researchers, activists, industries, and government agencies that play a role in the battle for food safety—an issue that impacts us all.

Presenting compelling and current information about some of the most important food safety issues, this book is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in avoiding foodborne disease or understanding how food safety standards could be improved. Food safety affects everyone. For citizens who live in industrialized nations, it is easy to assume that our foods are always rigorously inspected and assessed for safety. While food safety standards and regulations are in place to protect the consumer public, food safety problems do exist: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, 48 million Americans are sickened by food,128,000 people are sick enough that they are hospitalized as a result, and 3,000 people die from foodborne pathogens. This third edition of Food Safety: A Reference Handbook examines the history of food safety and describes in detail key events and trends that have created the food safety issues of today. It explores the many controversies concerning food consumption, including contaminants in food, GMOs, factory farm-produced meat, and standards regarding the labeling of food products as well as the ways that these issues have been handled by authorities. Readers will find this book's overview of food safety topics informative and highly accessible. Additionally, the perspectives chapter provides varying viewpoints from food safety professionals and researchers on key issues.