The Secret Life of Groceries

The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket

By: Benjamin Lorr

Narrated by: Benjamin Lorr

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

The American supermarket is an everyday miracle. But what does it take to run one? What are the inner workings of product delivery and distribution? Who sets the price? And who suffers for the convenience and efficiency we’ve come to expect? In this rollicking exposé, author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry. Combining deep sourcing, immersive reporting, and compulsively listenable prose, Lorr leads a wild investigation to:

• Learn the secrets of Trader Joe’s success from Trader Joe himself
• Drive with truckers caught in a job they call “sharecropping on wheels”;
• Break into industrial farms with activists to learn what it takes for a product to earn certification labels like “rain forest friendly” and “fair trade”;
• Follow entrepreneurs as they fight for shelf space, learning essential tips, tricks, and traps for any new food business;
• Journey with migrants to examine shocking forced labor practices through their eyes.

The result is a compelling portrait of an industry in flux, filled with the passion, ingenuity, and inequity required to make this piece of the American dream run. The product of five years of research and hundreds of interviews across every level of the industry, The Secret Life of Groceries is essential listening for those who want to understand our food system - delivering powerful social commentary on the inherently American quest for more and compassionate insight into the lives that provide it.

©2020 Benjamin Lorr (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Weirdly terrifying....

a book I couldn’t stop listening to yet dreaded to press play, but couldn’t help myself. I HAD to hear more...revealing the terror of our everyday grocery experience. Moving

Engaging and wide-ranging exploration of our food

A comprehensive look at the grocery business, this book is a narrative backed up with facts. Fast-paced and interesting. Read by the author, who does a good job. I’m not usually a fan of nonfiction, but this book is exceptional.

No longer food, now a unit.

I enjoyed every part of this book.
I like the resale experience. And have played many roles.
This book took me behind the scenes.
Really researched.
And read as only an author can, he was there, making it come to life.
Trader Joe, Whole Foods, and Amazon.
In Austin I applied at “Whole Foods “ and will remember that arduous two day interview.

Maybe the best non fiction book I’ve ever read

The end has me laugh crying. Insightful, entertaining, muck raking, philosophical… I’m so bemused that I got this for free from Amazon. The humor was good and earned. It was a kind book. It’ll stick with me for a very long time.

captivating journey along our grocery supply chain

this book is captivating and thoroughly enjoyable even as it reveals troubling truths, lurid details and moral complexities about how and where we get our food. The author is neither preachy nor didactic. As he takes us on his journey into the "belley of the beast" he also takes us on his inward journey. he reveals himself to be sensitive, self reflexive, and honest about the ambiguities and mostly-unconcious tradeoffs we make as consumers... and throughout it all, he never loses his humanity or his good humor. outstanding work!

Phenomenal option in the audible plus catalog

Incredibly insightful, deeply researched and many fascinating chapters. Also enjoyed the authors narration more than anticipated at the beginning

This needs to be read by everyone.

This book shows how the world treats the grocery industry. Greed, entitlement, and consumerism. All the things I have witnessed in my time in the grocery industry. It changes the way you think about shopping. How to treat the staff and the mad respect for the truckers who let's be honest are getting ripped off. this book is done amazingly and it really brings to light the issues with our modern grocery stores.

eye-opening.

My favorite narration of a book along with a fascinating story. A must listen.

Inside the Aisles

Benjamin Lorr brings an investigative journalist’s examination of how grocery stores began and grew, then he drills down on the issues of labor, transportation, marketing and the journey of products to shelves. With a mixture of awe and something close to horror at times, it’s a closeup of American consumers’ power to demand convenience and plenty.

Fascinating surprise

In-depth research on an unusual but fascinating subject. Surprised at how interesting a read. Well written.