Explains how the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (‎HACCP)‎ system can be used as a rational, reliable, and cost-effective method for reducing the risks that can lead to foodborne illness or food spoilage. Noting that traditional measures, such as end-product testing and the routine medical examination of food handlers, have largely failed to ensure food safety, the book concentrates on the many practical advantages of HACCP evaluations, offering detailed advice on the use of this system to identify hazards in food preparation and storage, assess related risks, and focus control procedures on these critical points. Throughout the book, numerous examples are used to show how the HACCP method, which concentrates on the detection and direct control of high-risk operations, can provide a greater assurance of food safety than any other approach. The book is addressed to public health personnel with some training in food microbiology and technology. The opening chapters describe the principles of the HACCP system, explain how its action-oriented approach works in practice, and discuss its application in households, cottage industries, and street food stalls, as well as in food service and food processing establishments. The most extensive chapter provides a point-by-point explanation of the steps to follow and the tests to be performed when looking for hazards and assessing their severity and risks. Technical instructions cover the collection of food samples, environmental samples, and clinical specimens, and methods for measuring the temperature, pH, and water activity of food. Advice on data collection is supplemented by a series of tables, which identify the factors most commonly implicated in outbreaks of foodborne disease, outline the tests that should be considered for 27 specific high-risk foods, and define the conditions of temperature, pH and water activity that limit multiplication of common foodborne pathogenic bacteria. The remaining chapters explain how to match detected hazards with the most appropriate control measures and monitoring procedures aimed at eliminating, preventing or minimizing risks, whether associated with the raw materials, processing procedures, or the manner in which the food is stored and used.