Consumers, retailers and businesses nationwide throw away millions of tons of food each year, with waste ultimately affecting profit levels and keeping officials up at night.

Food loss can happen at any stage in the production process, whether it be harvesting, processing, retailing or consumption.

It's a global problem, with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimating that as much as 1.3 billion tons, or one-third of all food made for human consumption, is wasted each year.