CHALLENGES OF FOOD RETAILERS IN FRESH FOOD INNOVATION
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth. Historically, people gather food through two methods, hunting and gathering, and agriculture. Food production has become an important issue in most countries. It has become even more critical in the case of developing countries where population growth is sometimes higher than the increase in food production. Today, most of the food energy consumed by the world population is supplied by the food industry, which is operated by multinational corporations that use intensive farming and industrial agriculture to maximize system output. Food retailing is about provides a market outlet where consumers can purchase food products. Based on the nature of products sold and the size of operation, food retail outlets are range from convenience stores to warehouse-style discount outlets. India is the world's second largest grower of fruits and vegetables after Brazil and China. Food retailing in India has come a long way, from a period when food items were sold at road side grocery shops, and bazaars to a stage where the food items are now sold through supermarkets, retail chain and many more. The changing of life styles, tastes and higher disposable incomes, growing need for convenience, higher aspirations among youth, exposure to the western lifestyle and increasing numbers of working women have revolutionized the food retail scenario of the country.
Therefore, food retailer must be able to handle several issues and challenges in the fresh food innovation. In