The Food Safety Information Handbook: [Hardcover]

Cynthia A. Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2001

Outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease, reports of potentially harmful genetically engineered corn and irradiated vegetables are fueling consumers' demands for clear, concise information about the safety and quality of the food supply. Librarians and consumers alike can quickly locate authoritative sources of up-to-date and accurate information in this easy to use handbook. There is a brief history of food safety with a chronology of incidents, products, and legislation. Recommended books, pamphlets, articles, Web sites, and other electronic resources are described. This one-stop handbook brings together in one volume food safety statistics, laws and regulations, and contact information for hot lines and help lines, organizations, and education and training opportunities. This book includes

·An Overview of Food Safety

·Issues in Food Safety

·Chronology of Food Safety-related events

·Food Safety Regulation

·Food Safety Statistics

·Careers in Food Safety

·Food Safety Resources

·Glossary^R

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Written by the coordinator of the USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Information Center, this volume provides an overview of the field of food safety and aims to serve as a resource for a broad audience of parents, students, health professionals, educators, and librarians. The volume is divided into two parts. Part 1, "An Overview of Food Safety," contains an introductory chapter that discusses food hazards, such as viruses, pathogenic bacteria, natural toxins, and pesticides. There is also a short history of the discoveries in food safety and techniques for making foods safer. The next chapter introduces hot topics related to food safety, including the cases for and against genetic engineering, irradiation, and the use of pesticides. Following this chapter is a lengthy chronology of events related to food safety, including inventions, discoveries, and legislation, beginning with 6000 B.C.E., when techniques for drying and smoking food were developed. Part 1 concludes with a history of laws and legislation in the U.S., starting with the Massachusetts Meat and Fish Inspection Law of 1641 and ending with the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act. Each chapter includes lists of resources, many of which are government documents available via the Web.

Part 2, "Resources," is dedicated to various information sources related to food safety, with chapters listing reports and brochures, books and newsletters, Internet resources and electronic products, educational materials, and state and national organizations and agencies. The book concludes with a glossary that is easy for the layperson to understand yet specific enough for teachers, undergraduates, and librarians. The index is well constructed and accurate, although not thorough. For example, the index entry peanut cites the discussion of peanut allergies in part 1 but does not capture the various resources related to peanut allergies listed in part 2.

Although food safety is a very timely topic, few materials published in recent years are intended for the same broad audience. This unique and well-rounded book is highly recommended for high schools and public libraries and for academic libraries' general reference collections. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"The Food Safety Information Handbook is a comprehensive guide that provides the information necessary to "interpret the quality of food [we] eat and the validity of the information to which [we] are exposed.,."Cynthia Roberts brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this volume. ...Roberts' handbook is well researched and very thorough...I recommend this handbook for all academic and large public libraries."-Reference & User Services Quarterly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood (July 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573563056
• ISBN-13: 978-1573563055
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,663,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Food Safety, March 19, 2002

By 

Holly McPeak (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Food Safety Information Handbook: (Hardcover)

The Food Safety Information Handbook tells you everything you ever wanted to know about food safety and more! There is no better resource than this that tells you about the history of Food Safety, starting with the beginning discoveries of bacteria and other microbes, adding in the inventions of refrigeration, canning, and irradiation, that highlights major foodborne illness outbreaks worldwide, and includes the chronology of food-safety regulations and other initiatives, including recommendations in recent federal policy.

A great resource for any food safety educator whether you are a chef in a restaurant, a teacher, a cooperative extension agent, a health professional, public health official, or consumer; this handbook is your bible of information on food safety! Whether you are looking for training, a career in food safety, there are resources here for you to get certified, locations to explore for further study, scholarships, internships, and fellowships. There are a multitude of educational materials, for children, adults, seniors, and food service workers, from games, to kits, educational videos, training videos and manuals, all provided with dates, addresses, costs, Website links and previews, and information on how to get it!

Ideas of where to go for more information - listings of government agenties, hotlines, state and local organizations, various groups with consumer resources, listings of other books, references, campaigns on various food safety topics - it's all here in Cindy Robert's Food Safety Information Handbook. Roberts devotes an entire chapter on Internet Web sites from Biotechnology, FoodNet, to Pesticides, and features Databases to discover, and offers Email discussion and distribution groups for you to subscribe, to keep in touch with food safety!

It's definitely a reference tool you will want to have at your fingertips!