Among the popular concerns about the environment, none ranks higher than the safety and quality of the food that we eat. Issues relating to genetically modified (GM) crops, pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables, cancer-causing chemicals, hazardous micro-organisms such as E. coli, the incidence and control of transmissible spongi form encephalopathies such as BSE and CJD, are but a few of the problem areas that receive frequent and widespread coverage in the media. In this book we have brought together a group of experts to present an up-to-date and balanced overview of a wide range of these issues, providing authoritative detail in a readily accessible way.Andrew Chesson of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen has provided an assessment of the safety of G M food crops which addresses this controversial subject rationally. His account gives careful consideration to the identification of possible hazards, however remote or implausible, but also to the analysis of risk. He concludes that although the present generation of GM crops may pose some risks to the wider environment, there is, in fact, no evidence that suggests they pose any risk to human health. On a broader front, the views of the UK food industry on safety and quality research priorities are represented in an article by Geoff Andrews of Northern Foods, Alistair Penman of Unilever and Chris Hart of Weetabix Ltd. They review a wide range of microbiological agents known to be involved in food poisoning incidents (e.g. Campylobacter spp., Cryptosporidium, Salmonella spp., E. coli 0157) and discuss the use of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) as a risk management tool. Chemical safety issues also are addressed, such as those associated with veterinary residues (hormones, antibiotics), GMOs, dioxins from incinerators, and marketing considerations such as 'shelf-life'. A more detailed examination of the food safety issues associated with the widespread and increasing practice of recycling biosolids (sewage sludge, agricultural wastes and exempt industrial wastes) to agricultural land is provided in the following article by Jim Wright, Technical Director of a major global consultancy organization, Environmental Resources Management. He compares the legislative framework and industry practice in the UK and USA, and provides a wealth of detail on the pathogens present in sewage sludge and other such biosolids, identifying the benefits of applying HACCP methods to the recycling process.