The book demonstrates that food safety is a multidisciplinary scientific discipline thatis specifically designed to prevent foodborne illness to consumers. It is generally assumedto be an axiom by both nonprofessionals and professionals alike, that the mostdeveloped countries, through their intricate and complex standards, formal trainingsand inspections, are always capable of providing much safer food items and beveragesto consumers as opposed to the lesser developed countries and regions of the world. Clearly, the available data regarding the morbidity and the mortality in different areasof the world confirms that in developing countries, the prevalence and the incidence ofpresumptive foodborne illness is much greater. However, other factors need to be takeninto consideration in this overall picture: First of all, one of the key issues in developingcountries appears to be the availability of safe drinking water, a key element in anyfood safety strategy. Second, the availability of healthcare facilities, care providers, andmedicines in different parts of the world makes the consequences of foodborne illnessmuch more important and life threatening in lesser developed countries than in mostdeveloped countries. It would be therefore ethnocentric and rather simplistic to statethat the margin of improvement in food safety is only directly proportional to thelevel of development of the society or to the level of complexity of any given nationalor international standard. Besides standards and regulations, humans as a whole haveevolved and adapted different strategies to provide and to ensure food and water safetyaccording to their cultural and historical backgrounds. Our goal is to discuss and tocompare these strategies in a cross-cultural and technical approach, according to the realities of different socio-economic, ethnical and social heritages.

Aleardo Zaccheo is plant pathologist and a food microbiologist trained in Switzerland and California. Has received a Bachelor Degree at Fresno State University, Master Degree and Post Graduate in Genetic Engineering at San Francisco State University. In 1992 has cofounded and he is the CEO of bioethica food safety engineering. Eleonora Palmaccio is from Formia, Italy. She received her Master Degree in Biology and Postgraduate Diploma at the University La Sapienza in Rome. She has worked for the Italian National Institute of Health in food safety. She is currently a senior assistant at bioethica food safety engineering. Morgan Venable is from San Rafael, California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Connecticut and continued her post graduate studies at East Carolina University. She currently works as a Consulting Registered Dietitian providing medical nutrition therapy. Isabella Locarnini-Sciaroni is from Monte Carasso Switzerland. She received her Bachelor and Master Degree at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ). After conducting her thesis in at bioethica food safety engineering, she became the quality manager of the family's company. Salvatore Parisi, Msc, PhD, is a research chemist working as an expert consultant, reviewer and academic lecturer in different fields, including food chemistry and technology, food packaging chemistry and technology, and quality certification systems. Dr. Parisi serves as Series Editor for the SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science: Chemistry of Foods.

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