ABSTRACT
Food stores can provide a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and meats from around the world as well as new food products developed by local manufacturers. Foods humans traditionally have consumed are, and have always been assumed to be, safe. Safety concerns have arisen for genetically modified foods and for the many new fruits and vegetables from countries around the world which are being sold in the developed countries. Food manufacturers have developed their own strategies and methodologies to safeguard their products from hazards accompanying any raw materials and from errors in their processing. Food hazards encountered because of careless storage and handling of food or by improper food preparation in the home can only be blamed on the public’s ignorance about food and its proper and safe preparation. The retail level needs to assume greater responsibility for safeguarding not only the quality of the food but its safety from their central warehousing facilities to the retail counter.
