We’re now reading into The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr. Remember that Benjamin has agreed to answer questions that you all send in, so be sure to email them or comment some!
This week, we read parts 4 and 5 of the book, about “health” food and about how a supermarket looks from the back, and what the meat system does at that. Here are some questions for you:
How do you feel about the book’s take on heath food? Or Joe’s?
Looking at all the people at work in this book so far, how do you feel about the labor in the food industry? Is it too extractive?
How do you “buy into meaning”?
Be sure to comment below! In two weeks we’re wrapping up the book, and in four we’re talking about What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia, so try to grab a copy. Send in questions and comments below!
We have generation of guys that can only imagine being Walmart! Count me as a Kevin Kelly fan!! Btw would love to go to this Fancy Food Show and interact with people there like Kevin & Julie (got my Slawsa order and it's delish! It goes well with so many things. I even put in on a Fish Fry Dog. Which is Deep Fried Haddock on a toasted Hot Dog Roll with Tartar Sauce).
As someone who works in a different field that deals with frequent audits (both from government agencies and customers), it was really interesting hearing about the audits conducted for the food industry. It was really interesting comparing and contrasting that industry to the one that I'm in.
I've known for awhile on the lack of oversight on different labelled claims so I've never given much stock to them, but man is it on a totally different level than I knew.
I've always felt all the certifications were too good to be true? It was kind of nice to have confirmation. A spice company I really like, Diasporaco, frequently has to address questions about if the farms they partner with (all Indian currently) are certified organic. They are not! The company has a great explanation about how although the farms are typically managed in organic ways the cost of the certification has been far too prohibitive for them to engage with.
The labor is clearly too extractive, but unfortunately the solution is far less clear. I'll be honest, I'm struggling with how to exist under these supply chains.
Interestingly, he seemed almost dismissive (almost, not entirely) of the animal rights concerns he experienced. But I thought his point about all the tumors we might see on humans if we all walked around naked was well done. One place I can almost feel ok about, I've been a vegetarian, now a pescatarian, for over 20 years and am about to start getting eggs from a friend raising her own chickens. But that feels like such a shallow impact with faced with the whole supply chain.
I think a constant theme of this book is how hard it is for businesses to stay true to their origins. There seems to be constant movement toward uniformity - Trader Joes and Whole Foods both slowly losing what made them unique in the first place. Kevin seems to be fighting it, but I think really just on a surface level.
I tried to find one quote from “What Kevin Made Me See” at the end of Part 5 and it turns out I could quote those 2 pages in their entirety. That was EXACTLY the kind of insight I was hoping to find in a book like this.
Clearly the entire food industry is too extractive. I would happily pay more across the board to try and help improve the lives all of those involved in bringing literal nourishment to my table, but it doesn’t seem like it’s that simple. In doing so, wouldn’t that just make “responsible food” (for lack of a better term) only attainable for the well off? In the world of a $7.25 minimum wage, too many poor people have to prioritize rent first, then food and so those people get stuck with “irresponsible food” that’s cheap (“affordable” to them) but it just keeps the wheel spinning and I genuinely don’t know where/how to throw the wrench in and improve things for EVERYONE across the board.
I now have doubts about "health food" and "organic food" in general after reading the book. Also I "see" for the first time the huge network related to food that gets into grocery stores. The supply chain--before this book just a term to me--the trucking, the warehousing, the payment for shelf space and promotion. I'm not sure that I know how to "buy into meaning." I think differently when I'm in the grocery store now but I don't know how to help in areas of ethics, helping workers who are exploited, supporting good suppliers, etc. And I'm wary of fish and seafood in whole new ways. This is one of the most educational books I've read in a long time. And I am mostly educated but not encouraged.
We have generation of guys that can only imagine being Walmart! Count me as a Kevin Kelly fan!! Btw would love to go to this Fancy Food Show and interact with people there like Kevin & Julie (got my Slawsa order and it's delish! It goes well with so many things. I even put in on a Fish Fry Dog. Which is Deep Fried Haddock on a toasted Hot Dog Roll with Tartar Sauce).
As someone who works in a different field that deals with frequent audits (both from government agencies and customers), it was really interesting hearing about the audits conducted for the food industry. It was really interesting comparing and contrasting that industry to the one that I'm in.
I've known for awhile on the lack of oversight on different labelled claims so I've never given much stock to them, but man is it on a totally different level than I knew.
I've always felt all the certifications were too good to be true? It was kind of nice to have confirmation. A spice company I really like, Diasporaco, frequently has to address questions about if the farms they partner with (all Indian currently) are certified organic. They are not! The company has a great explanation about how although the farms are typically managed in organic ways the cost of the certification has been far too prohibitive for them to engage with.
The labor is clearly too extractive, but unfortunately the solution is far less clear. I'll be honest, I'm struggling with how to exist under these supply chains.
Interestingly, he seemed almost dismissive (almost, not entirely) of the animal rights concerns he experienced. But I thought his point about all the tumors we might see on humans if we all walked around naked was well done. One place I can almost feel ok about, I've been a vegetarian, now a pescatarian, for over 20 years and am about to start getting eggs from a friend raising her own chickens. But that feels like such a shallow impact with faced with the whole supply chain.
I think a constant theme of this book is how hard it is for businesses to stay true to their origins. There seems to be constant movement toward uniformity - Trader Joes and Whole Foods both slowly losing what made them unique in the first place. Kevin seems to be fighting it, but I think really just on a surface level.
I tried to find one quote from “What Kevin Made Me See” at the end of Part 5 and it turns out I could quote those 2 pages in their entirety. That was EXACTLY the kind of insight I was hoping to find in a book like this.
Clearly the entire food industry is too extractive. I would happily pay more across the board to try and help improve the lives all of those involved in bringing literal nourishment to my table, but it doesn’t seem like it’s that simple. In doing so, wouldn’t that just make “responsible food” (for lack of a better term) only attainable for the well off? In the world of a $7.25 minimum wage, too many poor people have to prioritize rent first, then food and so those people get stuck with “irresponsible food” that’s cheap (“affordable” to them) but it just keeps the wheel spinning and I genuinely don’t know where/how to throw the wrench in and improve things for EVERYONE across the board.
I now have doubts about "health food" and "organic food" in general after reading the book. Also I "see" for the first time the huge network related to food that gets into grocery stores. The supply chain--before this book just a term to me--the trucking, the warehousing, the payment for shelf space and promotion. I'm not sure that I know how to "buy into meaning." I think differently when I'm in the grocery store now but I don't know how to help in areas of ethics, helping workers who are exploited, supporting good suppliers, etc. And I'm wary of fish and seafood in whole new ways. This is one of the most educational books I've read in a long time. And I am mostly educated but not encouraged.