Food is an enormously wasteful value chain in the U.S. as well as globally. Worldwide, about a third of all food grown for people to consume is thrown away; in the U.S., it’s 40%. A lot of grocery stores throw away 20% of highly perishable products and distribution centers reject 10% of all the products delivered to them. That’s a tragedy from a cost perspective as well as from a social and environmental perspective. All of that waste is also factored into what consumers ultimately pay at checkout. Minimizing food waste generates many cost-optimization opportunities. For every dollar saved by eliminating waste in the food supply chain, companies gain approximately two dollars in sales. This seminar will highlight ways that companies can reduce food waste through the use of NextGen technologies that are paving the way to enhanced sustainability in the food supply chain.