Introduction: the good, the bad and the ugly of the microbial world. Life unseen: the anatomy of microbes. Microbes are all around us. The global food poisoning problem. The reigning champions of food poisoning: Campylobacter and Salmonella. Less common but more deadly: E. coli and Listeria. Clostridia, viruses and other undesirables. Control. Prevention is better than cure. Legislation and maintaining standards. Epilogue.