The dark side of the American supermarket

With the pandemic forcing people to eat at home, grocery store sales have skyrocketed​. ​Shoppers have been hoarding pasta, eggs, and famously, toilet paper as workers and the supply chain struggle to keep up with demand. But what does it take to keep our supermarket shelves stocked and ​to bring consumers a cornucopia of food to grocery store aisles? BENJAMIN LORR spent five years investigating the grocery store and farming industries and following the workers’ difficult lives – essential grocery store workers, long haul truckers, farm workers and Thai shrimp industry laborers. Lorr joins us to talk about what he discovered, the poor working conditions and how consumers have turned a blind eye to the cruelties in favor of convenience and choice. His new book is The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket.