The Secret Life of Groceries

Reviews

“This book is at once a satisfying, enjoyable meal and a glass of cold water to the face. The modern shopper wants groceries that are ethical, sustainable, humane, affordable, fresh, and convenient. But, as Lorr discovers, the costs of our demands are recouped from the bottom of the food chain: debt-ruined truckers, foreign slave labor, and Whole Foods workers in our own communities—the people whose lives Lorr shared (and sometimes lived) for weeks or months…Does it sound grim? It’s not! The Secret Life of Groceries is a terrific read. The stories flow, and the hard truths are seasoned with wit and hope.”

“What Kitchen Confidential did for restaurants, Lorr’s book does for supermarkets.You won’t look at a supermarket shelf the same way after reading this sharp-edged exposé.”

“Journalist Lorr investigates the production, distribution, sales, and marketing of retail food products in this wide-ranging and acerbic exposé…His research astonishes. Socially conscious readers will want to take note.

“Lorr’s exploration of the systems and individuals that create the modern grocery store will move readers to ask far more probing questions about what they’re putting on the table.”

“A titanic achievement of reportage, insight, humor, and humanity, The Secret Life of Groceries will forever change the way you think about the American food system. Lorr journeys deep into our troubled supply chain with propulsive force and insight and brings us back the goods.”

“In The Secret Life of Groceries, Benjamin Lorr demonstrates through lively and meticulous reporting how much the enthronement of the American consumer has cost workers…With compassion and humor, Lorr introduces us to very real people who constitute that abstraction we call the ‘supply chain’ and challenges us, in a thoughtful and nuanced way, to consider the high price we pay for supermarket bargains.”