Book Review: The Secret Life of Groceries

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book unveils our food system—the supply chain, the people, production details, marketing, and the business of making stores successful. Get the insider story of Trader Joe’s founder, Joe Coulombe, one of the beloved grocery chains with an almost cult-like following.

There are six parts: Part I: Salad Days at Trader Joe’s; Part II: Distribution of Responsibility; Part III: Self-Realization through Snack; Part IV: The Retail Experience; Part V: When I look in My Window: Backstage in the Theater of Retail; and Part VI: The Bottom of the Commodity Chain.

“This book is about the grocery store. About the people who work there and the routes of supply that define it. It is the product of five years of research, hundreds of interviews, and thousands of hours tracking down and working alongside the buyers, brokers, marketers, and managers whose lives and choices define our diet” (pp. 4-5).

“So, within a century, we have cut rates of hunger and nutritional deficiency to historic lows, reduced food-borne illness to a rounding error, and democratized food that was once the height of luxury into fare for everyday consumption. And we have been so successful in all those endeavors that we now grapple with a series of problems entirely unprecedented in the history of humanity: of too much food, of using food to distribute ethical responsibility, of food as a proxy for control in our own increasingly detached lives” (p. 6).

This book will force you to consider the food industry, the consequences of our purchasing power, and solutions for improving this food system. I highly recommend it to anyone who buys groceries. I hope you will be inspired to support local farmers, shop local, and focus on the least processed, most nutritious options.

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Book Review: Reworked

Reworked: Health and Happiness at the Centre of Your Career by Stephanie Fitzgerald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The employee should be at the center of the workplace and be happy, healthy, safe, and engaged. These four components are key to a thriving workplace well-being for both the employer and the employee.

This book has 15 chapters covering money, physical and psychological safety, stress, burnout, management, teamwork, workspace considerations, a chapter on quitting, and more. Dr. Fitzgerald prompts you to use the techniques outlined in the book to improve your well-being at work. “Keep close the knowledge of what works for you and how you reworked your work life to keep yourself happy, healthy, safe and engaged. Never settle for anything else” (p. 239).

The book is easy to read, keeping concepts, tips, stories, and activities boxed out for the reader to notice easily. Take the time to read these. Reflect. Do the work. I especially like the chapter summaries. You will be inspired and prompted to move forward. While there is not a specific chapter on nutrition, the overall theme of achieving workplace well-being and the techniques presented can also be applied to how you nourish your body.

Some advice may not be what you were expecting. For example, your mental health is not your employer’s or manager’s responsibility. Also, be ready to look in the mirror… maybe you are playing a dominating role in the toxic team energy.

The author’s expertise as a psychologist is in mental health, i.e., there is little practical information on improving nutrition or physical health. Generally, if you are happy, healthy, safe, and engaged, you can make good food choices at work and not self-medicate through food and alcohol, and your health should not negatively impact your work and vice versa.

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