Food production has become cheap and efficient. So efficient in fact, that it has apparently no significant economic impact if "as much as 40 percent of America's food supply ends up in a dumpster". Otherwise, the market would improve efficiency with regards to wasting all that food.

I find particularly appalling that the production of animal products has become so economical that it does not matter that so much is thrown away. Efficient meat production means of course factory farming and questionable treatment of animals. This is a problem. The other problem is with the consumers of such cheap animal products. They are not aware anymore, have no respect for the fact that the thing they just gobbled up (and threw away) was once a living breathing being. It is sad.