R&B Carthage Press · August 2026
The Governed Enterprise
An AI Governance Playbook for Consumer Goods
The first AI governance playbook written specifically for consumer goods, from food and beverage to cosmetics, pet food, household products, and over-the-counter health, and the compliance issues each one faces.
Generative and agentic AI have reached the systems consumer goods companies run on. A copy tool can publish a product claim the regulatory team has not substantiated. A quality system can populate a specification panel from formulation targets rather than tested values. A procurement agent can clear a purchase order no one authorized. Each of those is a governance failure before it is a technology failure, and the frameworks written for banks and insurers do not reach any of them.
This book was written for the people who own the systems, the plant, and the supply chain. It covers ownership and accountability, policies that hold up in operation, data governance, and third-party and co-manufacturer oversight. It then works through the functions where AI is already running: marketing and sales, supply chain, manufacturing and quality, accounting and finance, and human resources. Four chapters address weaponized AI, cybersecurity threats, and security for plant floor and operational systems. The closing sections cover risk assessment, monitoring and auditing, incident response, culture and change, and the regulatory landscape.
The regulatory material follows the categories rather than the technology. Packaged food answers to FDA under FSMA. Pet food answers to AAFCO. Cosmetic claims fall under FTC advertising standards, and a claim permissible under FTC guidance may still violate EU Cosmetics Regulation requirements. Household cleaning claims carry EPA and FIFRA exposure. The EU AI Act reaches all of it.
Every chapter closes with a Next Steps block. Appendix A consolidates those into one working guide, with a core subset marked as the minimum viable governance foundation and the first ninety days. Appendix B is a glossary, followed by a bibliography. A chapter-by-chapter summary is available if you want to see the structure before you buy.
Ebook · $12.99
Paperback · $29.99
Hardcover · $39.99
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"A rigorous, executive-focused guide that belongs on every boardroom bookshelf."
BookView Review, Recommended (Top Rating)"An operating manual for leaders who need to turn AI governance into everyday practice."
Literary Titan, 5 Stars"A seminal and groundbreaking study, The Governed Enterprise is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university Business Management & AI collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists."
Midwest Book Review"For any CPG executive whose company is already using AI without a governance framework, The Governed Enterprise is not optional reading."
Readers' Favorite, 5 Stars"Essential reading for leaders navigating AI's growing operational and regulatory risks."
The Prairies Book Review"The most practical guide to AI governance currently available for senior leaders in consumer packaged goods companies."
Readers' Favorite, 5 StarsFull reviews are available at Readers' Favorite, Literary Titan, BookView Review, and The Prairies Book Review.
Winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award.
Paperback $29.99 · ISBN 979-8-9960620-0-3
Hardcover $39.99 · ISBN 979-8-9960620-2-7
Ebook $12.99 · ISBN 979-8-9960620-1-0
Published August 4, 2026 by R&B Carthage Press
469 pages · Library of Congress Control Number 2026918834
R&B Carthage Press · Carthage, North Carolina