Retail food protection

Protection of food is essential to ensure food safety. In the US, Food and Drug Administration is the major federal body monitoring the quality of eating products in the US. There are also more than 3,000 state, local, and municipal agencies to regulate food products and services on the local level. Grocery stores, restaurants, cafeterias, vending machines and more places need a close attention of food control specialists. The main purpose of the national food safety program proposed by FDA is to reduce the cases of foodborne diseases. These are the diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria that occur in the food when it is stored improperly or when the expiry date is past. Though rarely dangerous, food poisoning weakens our body and can provoke other conditions as dysbacteriosis. FDA protects us from the pathogens that may be found in food but it does not ban GMO or any synthetic substances in food. Thus, food quality officers may check that all snacks in a vending machine do not pass expiry date but they do not question any additives in the content of the snacks.