jmags reviewed The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr
None
4 stars
Grim and timely.
hardcover, 336 pages
Published Sept. 8, 2020 by Avery, Avery Publishing Group.
4 stars
(15 reviews)
"In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma, an extraordinary investigation into the human lives at the heart of the American grocery store. What does it take to run the American supermarket? How do products get to shelves? Who sets the price? And who suffers the consequences of increased convenience end efficiency? In this alarming exposé, author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry. Combining deep sourcing, immersive reporting, and compulsively readable prose, Lorr leads a wild investigation in which we learn: The secrets of Trader Joe's success from Trader Joe himself/ Why truckers call their job "sharecropping on wheels;" What it takes for a product to earn certification labels like "organic" and "fair trade;" The struggles entrepreneurs face as they fight for shelf space, including essential tips, tricks, and traps for any new food business; The truth behind the alarming slave trade …
"In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma, an extraordinary investigation into the human lives at the heart of the American grocery store. What does it take to run the American supermarket? How do products get to shelves? Who sets the price? And who suffers the consequences of increased convenience end efficiency? In this alarming exposé, author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry. Combining deep sourcing, immersive reporting, and compulsively readable prose, Lorr leads a wild investigation in which we learn: The secrets of Trader Joe's success from Trader Joe himself/ Why truckers call their job "sharecropping on wheels;" What it takes for a product to earn certification labels like "organic" and "fair trade;" The struggles entrepreneurs face as they fight for shelf space, including essential tips, tricks, and traps for any new food business; The truth behind the alarming slave trade in the shrimp industry. The result is a page-turning portrait of an industry in flux, filled with the passion, ingenuity, and exploitation required to make this everyday miracle continue to function. The product of five years of research and hundreds of interviews across every level of the industry, The Secret Life of Groceries delivers powerful social commentary on the inherently American quest for more and the social costs therein"--
A. Rivera reviewed The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr
Review of 'The Secret Life of Groceries' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
It is very rare I actually DNF a book, but this one I am glad to finally let it go. One, the title can be a bit misleading. This is more about some prominent people, and some not so prominent than about actual groceries and supermarkets. For example, even though he claims to be Trader Joe agnostic that chapter on Trader Joe just went on and on and on. Yea, we get it, Joe was quite the genius (albeit with a few advantages like a friend willing to lend him a fancy house in the Caribbean so he could retreat, sulk, and then plan what would become Trader Joe's after losing his first venture. Not exactly bootstraps here). I wanted to like this, in part because I read Ruhlman's Grocery. To be honest if you want a book about how a grocery store actually runs and how, that other …
It is very rare I actually DNF a book, but this one I am glad to finally let it go. One, the title can be a bit misleading. This is more about some prominent people, and some not so prominent than about actual groceries and supermarkets. For example, even though he claims to be Trader Joe agnostic that chapter on Trader Joe just went on and on and on. Yea, we get it, Joe was quite the genius (albeit with a few advantages like a friend willing to lend him a fancy house in the Caribbean so he could retreat, sulk, and then plan what would become Trader Joe's after losing his first venture. Not exactly bootstraps here). I wanted to like this, in part because I read Ruhlman's Grocery. To be honest if you want a book about how a grocery store actually runs and how, that other book, even with some flaws is a lot better than this. In addition, for some of the specific topics he covers such as retailers, truckers, Amazon, there are books on those topics which may be a better choice if you are interested.
Anyhow, not a book I would recommend but your mileage may vary. I am moving on.
