How do you usually shop for your food? Do you pick meals for the week, develop a list of items, and only buy from the list at the store? Do you scan the sales to find the best value and then plan meals around those? Maybe you explore the aisles until something catches your eye.

Whether you are a home-style dinner enthusiast, a vegan, or a gourmet cook, you want meals that don’t only taste great but are safe to eat as well. The quality of ingredients is a point of concern for almost everyone, particularly as the amount of recalls in the food industry has risen in recent years. While some recalls may be made to be extra cautious, today’s consumers expect more from the food we buy.

Food manufacturers are acknowledging these demands, especially amidst the concerns about food safety and the hazards of foodborne diseases. Many are employing new technologies to meet strict standards of safety, quality, and preservation methods. These tools involve high-pressure processing, ultrasound equipment, pulsed electric fields, ultraviolet light, and irradiation with ionizing radiation. These tools can eliminate germs and other microorganisms and help prolong shelf life without including extra additives. For more information about these systems, check out the accompanying resource.