that when I harvest and sell the food to the store, the supply of food depletes WAY faster than if I just leave it for the town people to take at will. Are the store owners just eating it themselves or are they exporting it to the grocery stores in the Virtual Families games??? LOL

When you sell food to the General Store, the townsfolk can go there to obtain their food. However, the food that you harvest and sell will still be available to your townsfolk only on the day you sell it. The next day, when the store proprietors get new stock, the food will no longer be available.