Springer Safe or Not Safe: Deciding What Risks to Accept in Our Environment and Food

This book discusses risk and the food supply. It details all aspects of risk and how it applies to food, from risk classification to risk management, and examines such issues as the political context of risk discussion and moral dimensions of decision making. Review From the reviews:“An additional subtitle to this excellent book should be ‘risk management.’ … This book will be useful for a wide audience, especially students, faculty, and researchers in environmental, food, risk management, political science, legal, and communication disciplines, as well as politicians and the concerned public. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.” (R. E. Buntrock, Choice, Vol. 49 (2), October, 2011) From the Back Cover Safe or Not Safe aims to present a comprehensive picture of food-related risk issues, as observed in daily life. Included are numerous real-life examples showing how scientists measure, assess, evaluate and manage potential risks, and how this helps us to decide  how to manage our food chain and ultimately the food we eat. The book is divided into four interrelated chapters. Chapter one deals with risk: Risk examples  are given from  our daily life, illustrating what we need to know about  risks and how to manage them. Chapter two addresses the risks  to biodiversity. Chapter three investigates the risks chemical contaminants pose to our health through the food chain. The final chapter reviews the last three decades of creating genetically engineered food, focusing not only on the science behind the technology, but also on issues, such as consumer choice and rights, politics, product usefulness, and the availability of alternatives. Aimed especially at food science professionals and educators, undergraduate and graduate students, health professionals, and an interested general public will also benefit greatly from this resource. About the Author Paul Pechan is a researcher at the Department of Communication and Media Research, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich. His background is in molecular biology but since 2000 he has been involved in the research and communication of science to the public and youth. His latest work includes scientific papers on information recall, texts for 5 health films and a UNESCO manual for teachers. Allan Watt is a research scientist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh. He has led several international projects with a focus on conflicts between human activities and biodiversity. Ingemar Pongratz is group leader and holds an Assistant Professorship at the Department for Biosciences and Nutrition at KI. Dr Pongratz’s main research area is the biology and function of pHLH-PAS proteins and he leads his own research group studying the effects of dioxin exposure at the cellular level. Ortwin Renn serves as full professor and Chair of Environmental Sociology and Technology Assessment at Stuttgart University (Germany). He directs the Interdisciplinary Research Unit for Risk Governance and Sustainable Technology Development (ZIRN) at Stuttgart University and the non-profit company DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes in environmental policy making.