How We Eat

October 25, 2021
Environmental psychologist Underhill (Why We Buy) leans more Malcolm Gladwell than Alice Waters in this patchy survey of American eating habits. He presents factoids galore: Most common search term on Grubhub during the pandemic? Wine, followed by cake. The world's oldest bar? Luain's Inn in Ireland goes back around 1,100 years. Occasionally, though, the writing reads like an advertisement for Underhill's company, Envirosell; the market research firm consults for clients like Walmart, which, in addition to employing "stellar" executives, he writes, sells more than 1.5 billion pounds of bananas annually. Though Underhill interviews experts like nutrition guru Marion Nestle, he sometimes seems out of his depth: when talking to a pair of Instagram food influencers about "yolk porn," he admits he was "clueless" about Instagram stories before the interview. The most appealing passages are his personal anecdotes—such as the story of how he became the owner of a bar in New York City in his 20s, or the time when, as the eight-year-old son of a diplomat stationed behind the Iron Curtain ("the first sign I saw in western Germany: not 'Welcome to Freedom' but 'Drink Coca-Cola' "), he was plied with hamburgers and foosball by the Polish secret service. While pleasantly meandering, this fails to draw any meaningful conclusions about its subject.

November 15, 2021
An examination of the problems and future of America's broken food system. Through a series of essays, market researcher and author Underhill, the author of Why We Buy and Call of the Mall, takes us on an eye-opening journey. According to the author, the system is broken, and technology is largely responsible. Today, technology has "turned the things we eat and drink into commercial products to be engineered, manufactured, and marketed like tires or toothpaste....Once, it was the scarcity of food that threatened our lives; today, it's the abundance." As the author notes, younger Americans may never realize that fruits and vegetables have specific growing seasons, as they are now available for purchase nearly anywhere and year-round. In the past few years, Americans' shopping habits have changed significantly. Intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic, shoppers have increasingly turned to online outlets for their groceries and other needs. Due to issues related to trust and transparency in the production of food, as well as environmental and ethical concerns, other consumers have turned increasingly to local producers. With a witty, conversational tone, Underhill leads readers on a trip through various aspects of the food industry to demonstrate the ways in which changes in consumer behavior, as well as production concerns, are being addressed. He explores the layout of a typical supermarket and chronicles his tour of a farmers market in New York City as well the headquarters of a popular supercenter. Underhill is not all doom-and-gloom regarding technology's impact. He points out certain developments, such as innovations in cannabis growing, that are being used to address climate change and the nation's growing population. The author also recounts his interviews with farmers, members of the media, and industry experts, all of whom provide specific insights about the topic. Hopeful and enlightening commentary on the future of the food industry.

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December 1, 2021

Underhill, an expert in consumer behavior, writes about a central aspect of all humanity: food. He argues that the contemporary food system is broken and analyzes the current trends in all aspects of the industry and extrapolates them to see how humans might be eating in the future. He dedicates each chapter to a different aspect of food-production and seeks to highlight how future endeavors (e.g., the country-fication of cities; exciting changes at the supermarket) may help to create a better food system for everyone involved. Beyond the technological aspects of food-production, he also writes about psychological and sociological changes that are affecting the industry. The future of food might not turn out exactly as Underhill envisions it, but his book is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the industry that will surprise readers at what might be coming. Underhill doesn't prescribe any concrete solutions, which may leave readers wanting more. Hand to fans of Michael Ruhlman's Grocery. VERDICT Written in an informal, conversational style, this is an enlightening look at a central part of human life.--Laura Hiatt, Fort Collins, CO

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2022
The supermarket was intended to ease the consumer's chore of shopping daily for food, turning it into a one-stop event performed no more than weekly. But reaction to the industrialization and uniformity of food set in, and now people want to shop for their meats and vegetables in farmers' markets, where they hope to encounter sustainably produced, locally grown, seasonal, organic foods. Underhill (What Women Want, 2010) turns a critical and scientific eye toward modern food distribution and marketing. Laying bare the clever methods that retailers use to both subtly and overtly provoke impulse shopping, he sees a growing synthesis of highly mechanized supermarkets now partnering with small agricultural providers to meet perceived public demand for less--processed foods the world over. He notes how the COVID pandemic and its disruption of transportation has transformed much of the retail food industry as well as consumers' expectations. He also documents the immense waste of food and identifies some innovations to correct that. Underhill's marketing perspective ably supplements other critics' reproaches of our contemporary food supply.

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