09/07/2021
I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! To honor the holiday a bit I thought I’d talk a little about this book, “The Secret Life of Groceries,” by .
I work in the cheese department of a grocery store. I enjoy my job; I get to use creativity and logic everyday, I have a daily pattern with set deadlines, and sometimes I even get to teach people about cheese. But having worked there for over 5 years now, I also know just how little common Americans know about the food industry.
Which is where this book comes in. It focuses on three main aspects of the grocery industry: history, shipping, and sourcing. Obviously it can’t cover it all, and only just scratches the surface of those topics, but it’s enough. Especially in the wake of a pandemic, when commodities like peanut butter disappear off the shelves for weeks at a time, or imported goods seem to come and go at random. Most people who haven’t worked in the industry can’t understand the complexities that affect product availability. All they know is the thing they wanted is gone (and some of them get very mad about it). Which I why I highly recommend this book for everyone who buys food at a store. It will give you a glimpse of the journey our food takes and hopefully educate you a little on the choices you can make to help bring the industry forward. The food we consume lives a far more complicated life than advertised. And the people who sell you that food are generally: 1. doing their best, 2. deserving of respect and patience, and 3. trying to find a good balance between caring for themselves, the customer, and the products, all while labouring for an industry that primarily cares about profits.
Let me know if you’re interested in reading it, or have read it! I’d love to discuss it with you!
🍎🥑🍞🥩🥚🧀🍤🥛🍫
