As the authors acknowledge in their Preface, this book draws heavily on a previous ASM publication, Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers (FMFF). It reproduces many of the same tables and figures, but the whole text has been reduced and simplified for a novice undergraduate audience. As part of this 'FMFF lite' approach there are a number of crossword and word search puzzles as well as the occasional cartoon and authors' note to lighten the load further.

The text covers the principal areas of food microbiology - spoilage/preservation, fermentation and food-borne illness. The last of these receives the most in-depth coverage, although a varying format for each chapter on the principal pathogens means that the coverage is not uniform and there are some omissions, such as a discussion of microbiological risk assessment. Other features include a glossary of terms and each chapter is followed by a number of 'questions for critical thought' that could serve as useful prompts for class discussions.