Communication Practices in Engineering, Manufacturing, and Research for Food and Water Safety

Through the eyes and experiences of experts in the fields, this book examines the ways in which communication has framed food and water safety issues in the recent past. As well, this collection provides perspectives on how to approach the ways that communication practices deeply affect our perceptions about food, water, and the safe delivery of those vital basics.

Despite continuous technological advances, contaminated food and water continue to take lives worldwide. While it is true that countries with poor infrastructures are subject to more incidences of contaminated food and water, the US and Europe continue to suffer from the same types of problems. Developing technologies need to be accepted by food producers and the public in order to be of value, which is why communication continues to play a vital role within food production industries and in maintaining policies that protect consumers. From the engineer to the technical writer to the translation/localization expert, safety is a responsibility of all.

Communication Practices in Engineering, Manufacturing, and Research for Food and Water Safety is comprised of multiple perspectives on both the history and the current state of food and water engineering. Topics of discussion included in this book include USDA strategies for communication, new food technologies, food safety in modern food supply operations, failures in technical communication, and muckraking and promoting food safety.

Special features of this book include:

• Novel methods for communicating pivotal information about genetically modified foods
• An in-depth study on communication failures and successes surrounding the proposed National Animal Identification System
• Strategies for educating youth, and their mentors, on how talking about food safety is an act of technical communication
• A case study on groundwater regulations, and the communication thereof
• A discussion on computer systems for translating and managing safety information within technical organization from small to large

This book has been written by leading experts in the field in order to cover important topics from a variety of angles that will improve the way communication is spread throughout related agricultural, food, and water industries.

David Wright is an Associate Professor of Technical Communication in the Department of English and Technical Communication at Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA. Dr. Wright is a member of the IEEE Professional Communication Society and the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing. He earned his PhD in Philosophy, Technical Communication, and MS in Higher Education Administration, at Oklahoma State University.