Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-330) and index.

pt. 1. Food-borne diseases. -- Historical background -- What is food poisoning? -- Antibiotic resistance -- pt. 2. Sources of food-borne disease. -- Food sources of disease -- The 20 most common causes of food-borne illness in the kitchen -- Poultry -- Meat and meat products -- Fish and seafood -- Dairy and egg products -- Fruits, vegetables and nuts -- Grain and flour products -- Other foods -- Restaurants and food service -- pt. 3. Consumer protection. -- Incidence and costs of food-borne diseases -- Methods to reduce food-borne diseases -- In the consumer's interest -- Self-help -- Safe eating while traveling -- Problems coming down the road -- Where do we go from here? -- pt. 4. Food-borne pathogens. -- Bacterial diseases : infective forms -- Toxin-producing forms -- Diseases of toxic substances -- Fungal diseases -- Parasitic diseases -- Viral diseases -- Appendix 1 : Diseases, causes and symptoms -- Appendix 2 : Sources of information about food-borne diseases -- Appendix 3 : Storage conditions for selected foods.

"In Food Alert! food-safety expert Morton Satin explains the history and science of food contamination and preservation; the causes, dangers and types of food-borne diseases; and, most important, everything consumers need to know to understand the risk of food-borne illness and to protect themselves from it."--BOOK JACKET.