The Secret Life of Groceries

Published 31 May 2024

I picked up Benjamin Lorr's book, The Secret Life of American Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket, on a whim, in Minneapolis, from Birchbark Books. I like to stop in to independent book stores when traveling and buy a book (or two) that catches my eye. Sometimes I pick something based on a handwritten review taped to a shelf. Sometimes a particular cover jumps out at me. The only requirement is that it's not something I already knew I wanted.

I don't remember what made me pick this book up, but I do remember my fascination and disbelief that there was an entire book about grocery stores. I knew I had to buy it. And boy it did not disappoint.

I was taken aback multiple times when reading by the sheer amount of effort that went into the research. For this book Lorr spent time working the fish counter at a Whole Foods and traveled with a trucker in their truck, for multiple days, on top of a ton of interviews, trade shows, and other related events. It says on the back this is the culmination of five years of research, and I'm a little surprised it wasn't more.

Overall I found it a very engaging read. It seems like the sort of book that could easily be dry and impersonal, but Lorr talks about his own experiences doing the research to explore all aspects of our food system, and describes how his perspective shifted as he learned more. You also get to know a number of different folks as real people. He really takes you on a tour of the whole industry, from the stores themselves, to the folks transporting to the food, to the folks responsible for growing, harvesting, packaging, etc, on top of telling the origins of some popular chains you're probably familiar with. It's a sobering read overall, but I really appreciated the complexity he highlighted in looking at the system as a whole. This is another must-read if you're at all interested in the topic!