“Growing up for me, food was just food,” says investigative journalist Benjamin Lorr . He says that food has become a vehicle for performative consumption. In the same way that people may buy a Rolex to demonstrate their taste, consumers exhibit identity, health, and ecological consciousness by the brands they choose to eat. During his research, he embedded with a trucker who made $100 in the week he rode with her. He calls trucking as dangerous as the timber and deep sea fishing industries. His book is “ The Secret Life of Groceries .”
Part of the success of Trader Joe’s is targeting individual consumers, including the overeducated and underpaid, according to Benjamin Lorr. Photo courtesy of Avery