Researchers from the University of Illinois and three universities in Brazil are teaming up to study ways to reduce the amount of food lost after harvesting.

The Archer Daniels Midland Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss is funding the collaboration.

Experts say significant amounts of food are lost every year to post-harvest waste. They say studies show this food could meet minimum food requirements for millions of people.

The three-part study will first determine the extent of harvest losses in major soybean- and corn-producing states. The second phase will study transportation and storage losses to develop guidelines that will minimize waste.

Finally, the examination will test and analyze costs for putting effective storage methods in place on farms.