Principles of Agribusiness Management
by James G. Beierlein, Kenneth C. Schneeberger, Donald D. Osburn

 

A practical description of the global agri-food system that emphasizes marketing, demand analysis, forecasting, production, finance, leadership, and human resource management and is focused on the four management functions --planning, organizing, controlling, and directing.

The Invisible Giant: Cargill and Its Transnational Strategies
by Brewster Kneen

 

No other company typifies the global concentration in worldwide commodity trading and processing like Cargill. Although it's the largest privately held company in the world, few people realize the scope of Cargill's activities or its influence on the food we eat and even the salt we put on our roads in the wintertime.

 

Ensuring Safe Food: From Production to Consumption (1998)
Institute of Medicine (IOM) 
Available free on the web at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/6163.html

 

Microbiological Risk Assessment in Food Processing
edited by Martyn Brown and Mike Stringer

Microbiological risk assessment (MRA) is one of the most important recent developments in food safety management. Adopted by Codex Alimentarius and many other international bodies, it provides a structured way of identifying and assessing microbiological risks in food.

Part 1 - introduces the key steps in MRA methodology. A series of chapters discusses each step, starting with hazard identification and characterization before going on to consider exposure assessment and risk characterization. Given its importance, risk communication is also covered.

Part 2 - then considers how MRA can be implemented in practice. There are chapters on implementing the results of a microbiological risk assessment and on the qualitative and quantitative tools available in carrying out a MRA.

Part 3 - discusses the relationship of MRA to the use of microbiological criteria and another key tool in food safety management, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems.

 

Conquest of Bread: 150 Years of Agribusiness in California (04 Edition)

by Richard A. Walker

 

An overview of the California agro-business system from “farm to table.” A description of the long development of each food chain link, showing how a persistent productivity emphasis and market growth has allowed California to outpace agriculture production elsewhere in the United States and the world.

 

Food Processing: Principles and Applications
by J. Scott Smith and Y. H. Hui

Industry professionals have collaborated to create Food Processing: Principles and Applications. This fully illustrated examination of food processing systems and provides a practical demonstration of the manufacturing stages and operations for different categories of food products.

 

Food Safety Handbook
by Ronald H. Schmidt and Gary E. Rodrick

The food production process steps, from processing and packaging to handling and distribution. This Handbook categorizes and defines real and perceived safety issues surrounding food, providing scientifically perspectives on issues. Each section is divided into chapters, which are then organized into the following structure: Introduction and Definition of Issues; Background and Historical Significance; Scientific Basis and Implications; Regulatory, Industrial, and International Implications; and Current and Future Implications. Topics covered include:

• Risk assessment and epidemiology
• Biological, chemical, and physical hazards
• Control systems and intervention strategies for reducing risk or preventing food hazards, such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
• Diet, health, and safety issues, with emphasis on food fortification, dietary supplements, and functional foods
• Worldwide food safety issues, including European Union perspectives on genetic modification