Book excerpt: Food microbiology is a fascinating and challenging science. It is also very demanding with a constantly changing sea of guidelines, regulations and equip ment. Public concerns over food safety issues can overemphasize certain risks and detract from the normal hygienic practice of food manufacturers. This new edition aims to update anyone concerned with the hygienic production of food on key issues of HACCP, food microbiology and the methods of microbe detection. I have taken a 'crystal ball' approach to certain topics. The use of rapid techniques such as lux gene technology and polymerase chain reaction (DNA probes) are progressing so rapidly in the research laboratory that when this book is in print the techniques may be more readily available. New methods for investigating viral gastroenteritis due to small round structured viruses (SRSV) have been developed past the 'research' stage and may become more standard in the next few years. Undoubtedly this will alter our understanding of the prevalence of viral food poisoning. I have also included issues such as new variant CJD (associated with BSE infected cattle) which at the time of writing has only caused the deaths of 20 people, but due to the uncertain incubation time could be a far more serious problem. In the UK there has been a much publicised outbreak of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 which has resulted in a government inquiry and the recommenda tion of the generic HACCP approach. Hence this approach to HACCP imple mentation has been included.