The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket

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.