Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation, Second Edition.

Well, they've done it again. Our own Dr. David McSwane, last year's Walter S. Mangold Award recipient, along with Drs. Nancy Rue and Richard Linton, have authored the second edition of Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation. Wow!

We all heralded the arrival of the first edition in 1998. After all, it was the first book to combine several elements: the new hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) concepts; the Food Code; and management, training, and education with a classical approach to food safety and sanitation. Also, it was written in a pleasant, easy-to-read style, with neat illustrations and quizzes at the end of each chapter--an ideal candidate for a textbook and study guide. In fact, at NEHAs 1999 Annual Educational Conference (AEC), we learned that many environmental health professionals were using it to study for the Certified Food Safety Professional (C.F.S.P.) exam. We also learned that everyone dipped liberally into its contents to design training, seminars, and public information sessions. Enter the second edition.

If you think that the first edition was good, wait until you see this latest arrival from Prentice Hall Publishers. It's amazing what the authors have accomplished in two short years. While the second edition still has all the good stuff about food safety and sanitation, perhaps its greatest contribution to the sanitarian profession is the vignettes and examples the authors have distributed throughout the book. At the beginning of each chapter, a vignette sets the tone, and the quizzes and case studies at the end of each chapter bring the good science content into real-life application. Throughout, the authors highlight key concepts with eight-sided icons in the margins. The appendices and the index both have been expanded with a wealth of useful information. Also appearing at the ends of chapters are lists of references and related Web sites that alone are worth the price of the book ($44).

Basically, Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation, second edition, is an excellent companion to the Food Code and a must for every sanitarian's library. For those who are using the book to prepare for the C.F.S.P. and Food Protection Manager certification exams, a study guide also is available. [Note: Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation, Second Edition, is available from NEHA. To order a copy, please complete and return the order form on page 30.]