“Gone are days when a food technologist devised a totally new food product concept and had it on the shelves within months. Now there’s a maze of food regulations, food safety issues, and regulatory agencies with which to deal. Today’s food technologist needs to be a combination of scientist, lawyer, and regulator. Not understanding the complex matrix of food safety regulations under state and federal authority may put one’s company at grave risk.” Those chilling words, from a 2001
Food Technology article co-authored by Philip Crandall, illustrate the safety, regulatory, and legal mandate faced by food processors and producers today.
In A Practical Guide to Food Safety Regulation, authors Goodwin and Hipp have joined with collaborating authors Crandall and Hobson to untangle the complicated “matrix” of food safety regulations. This unique book provides the professional community from a variety of agricultural disciplines a guide to the multiple (12) federal agencies, numerous state agencies and distinct enabling statutes (35 specific legal frameworks) that guide the United States’ response to issues involving the safety of the food supply. In addition to extended discussion of the specific federal enabling statutes and the corresponding regulatory agencies concerned with food safety, the text includes: a chapter of contributed articles by leading professionals involved in food safety regulation; numerous case studies which explore complex scenarios and the application of various laws and regulations; examinations of emerging issues and trends in food safety regulation, the concerns surrounding agro-terrorism, and the regulatory and industry responses to developing food safety threats. A Practical Guide to Food Safety Regulation offers the agricultural professional – producer, processor, and marketer alike – a full and varied menu to clearly understand the requirements and implications of food safety regulations.
