This book provides an understanding of the microbial challenges to the safety of low a_w foods, and a historic backdrop to the paradigm shift now highlighting low a_w foods as vehicles for foodborne pathogens.  Up-to-date facts and figures of foodborne illness outbreaks and product recalls are included.  Special attention is given to the uncanny ability of Salmonella to persist under dry conditions in food processing plants and foods.  A section is dedicated specifically to processing plant investigations, providing practical approaches to determining sources of persistent bacterial strains in the industrial food processing environment.  Readers are guided throughdry cleaning, wet cleaning and alternatives to processing plant hygiene and sanitation.  Separate chapters are devoted to low a_w food commodities of interest including spices, dried dairy-based products, low a_w meat products, dried ready-to-eat cereal products, powdered infant formula, nuts and nut pastes, flours and meals, chocolate and confectionary, dried teas and herbs, and pet foods.  The book provides regulatory testing guidelines and recommendations as well as guidance through methodological and sampling challenges to testing spices and low a_w foods for the presence of foodborne pathogens.  Chapters also address decontamination processes for low a_w foods, including heat, steam, irradiation, microwave, and alternative energy-based treatments.