The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates between 30 and 40 percent of food in the United States goes to waste, much of that at the consumer level. However, food loss and waste also occur at many other levels of the value chain including production, commodity processing, distribution channels and retail settings.

As part of the 2019 Ag Innovation Partnership (AIP) program, AURI partnered with food loss expert Dr. Claire Sand of Packaging Technology and Research to identify opportunities to sustainably reduce food loss and waste in Minnesota food processing while exploring new uses for the remaining food waste. By identifying an easy entry point for impacting this issue in Minnesota processing, AURI hopes to catalyze activity in food waste reduction and/or commercialization of upcycling opportunities.

AURI and Dr. Sand teamed up to review hundreds of food production and processing possibilities, demonstrating opportunities in five areas that could reduce an estimated 1.1 billion pounds of waste in Minnesota. 

Please join us for the next installment of AURI Connects: Webinar Wednesday on September 9^th to learn more about the motivation for and the potential impact of this novel research project to drive more efficient utilization of Minnesota’s rich agricultural resources. 

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AURI Connects: Webinar Wednesday is a monthly webinar series hosted by the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute. Each webinar explores different aspects of the food and ag sectors in Minnesota—from resources for food entrepreneurs to innovations in coproducts and biobased energy. 

Webinars take place on the second Wednesday of the month from 12 pm – 1 pm CT. Registration is free and open to the public. To learn more about upcoming webinars and watch past recordings, visit us at www.auri.org/webinar-wednesday.