Food insecurity continues to be a pressing issue in the United States. Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries, and meal programs, reported that in 2020 about 42 million people, including 13 million children, lacked access to sufficient food for an active, healthy life.
One solution to food insecurity is the ongoing effort to reduce waste in food manufacturing plants, often brought on by production downtime. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 2019 a staggering 40 million tons of food was wasted in the food and beverage manufacturing and processing sectors.