Food products are marketed in international markets on all continents and distributed to reach remote locations as well. Food products are classified based on the availability, productivity and demands of the growing population. Unprocessed foods, such as whole grains, legumes, spices, cashews, frozen foods, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and many more, are food products that are traded in domestic or domestic markets and in international markets. Processed food products include edible oils, butter, cheese, cedars, fruit juices, sauces, and all kinds of flours. The food industry is a multi-billion dollar business and the largest industry in the world.
Food handling includes many important factors that cannot be ignored, such as storage, shelf life, and temperature conditions. Special attention must be paid to storage space requirements, as the amount of space required in a warehouse depends on the total volume of food stored and the number of different products. Separate stacks require more usable volume than a large stack; therefore, each product must be stacked separately. Shelf life refers to the average amount of time a product can be stored without nutritional deterioration. A food product can deteriorate for a number of reasons, including aging, microbiological decomposition, chemical and physical degradation, and changes in texture. The spoilage of food products can be reduced or slowed by careful processing, packaging, handling and storage. Universal guidelines for controlling temperature and humidity conditions to suit various food products are impossible, because these conditions and the operating environment vary from place to place. However, some basic instructions can be followed, such as keeping all food products in dry condition, storing wet and dry food separately, cross-ventilation in warehouse, sunroofs, and covering food products during transportation.
In addition to food products being a profitable commercial business, large amounts of food are donated through food distribution programs as relief measures. Staple food programs use low-cost staples to provide staples to populations in extreme food security emergencies, as well as for development activities designed to address food security goals.
