ABSTRACT
Strong personalities, usually together with adverse events arising from food adulteration, have been responsible for changes in standards and regulations governing foods. Some of the effects of the social factors on foods are found in the areas of packaging, preparation, and storage. Precooked dinners or main courses, including meat, fish, and poultry are increasingly found on supermarket shelves. The increase in tourism has exposed people to food habits of other cultures and broadened their interest in other foods. Science and technology have had a major impact on the foods people eat, both directly and indirectly. Virtually everything from communications systems, the widespread use of computer electronics, and advances in packaging materials, to the explosion in the use of microwave ovens and other hardware products, can be seen at work in homes, restaurants, and manufacturing facilities. The purposes of food standards and regulations are to protect the public against unsafe and unwholesome products and against economic fraud and deception.
