In the PBS series Human Footprint, the new second season recently kicked off with the episode “Shelf Life.” Host Shane Campbell-Staton, an evolutionary biologist, investigates how the supermarket has become a powerful force shaping eaters’ bodies, communities, and the planet.
“The grocery store is the nexus where most of us in the United States connect with our food, and I think it’s a great jumping-off point for all the issues in the food system. It’s a place where everything feels abundant, but it does exactly the opposite of what it’s supposed to do,” Human Footprint Executive Producer Nathan Dappen tells Food Tank.
“Shelf Life” opens with a scene from Supermarket Sweep, the fast-paced game show, originally hosted by David Ruprecht that featured contestants racing through grocery store aisles to grab as many high-priced items as possible. It takes viewers on a wide-ranging global journey, documenting the Omega Mart in Las Vegas, cold-storage apple warehouses in Washington State, bustling ad agencies in New York, and shrimp farms in rural Thailand.
With each stop, the show reveals how the modern supermarket, once seen as a marvel of efficiency and abundance, now sits at the heart of a deeply flawed food system. As the episode progresses, it dives into themes that highlight the pursuit of convenience and low prices, how global supply chains have overlooked labor abuses, environmental damage, and the health impacts of ultra-processed foods.
“The whole goal of going from Supermarket Sweep to slavery was to show how we can meet people where they feel okay and don’t disrespect them for feeling that way, but then slowly peel back the layers one by one,” Dappen explains.
The episode reveals that in the pursuit of convenience and low prices, global supply chains have overlooked labor abuses, environmental damage, and the health impacts of ultra-processed foods.
In one scene, the Human Footprint team interviews a small group of rescued migrant workers who were forced into Thailand’s fishing industry. Filming had to be done quickly to protect workers, Dappen explains, but he and his team felt a responsibility to highlight the human cost embedded in something as ordinary as a bag of shrimp.
In other scenes, the show explores the surprising history of breakfast cereal, revealing that at one point some cereals contained more sugar per serving than certain candies. In another, it highlights the energy-intensive industrial process of removing apples from cold storage, where they’re prepared for market, then shipped around the world.
The episode is shaped by Dappen’s own journey from science to storytelling. Trained as a biologist, he discovered that raw data alone wasn’t enough to reach people. “Science doesn’t happen in a bubble, it happens with human beings, Dappen tells Food Tank. “I think it’s so important to talk about how [science] is related to society, culture, and identity.”
Dappen feels this message is especially urgent now. With public broadcasting facing US $1.1 billion in funding cuts, Human Footprint is among many shows at risk.
Human Footprint “shows the importance of storytelling — for free—and in a moment like this, shows what public science programming can be right now,” Dappen says. “It’s important that folks realize it’s free, and the only place you can get free content like this.”
Dappen also hopes the show will inspire eaters to take action to improve food and agriculture systems. “The first thing to realize is that most of these changes are systemic problems and require political action. Being involved in demanding change from our politicians and the companies that control the levers of power is the most important thing,” he says.
Action at the community level matters as well, Dappen argues, stating that “the biggest place we can make change is in our communities.” And he encourages viewers to get to know the people behind every meal they enjoy.
“When you know the quality of that food, it connects you intimately to the process and the system in a way that adds positive value to our lives and helps us to make choices for ourselves about how those choices impact our neighbors as it relates to food.”
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Photo Courtesy of Nicotitto, Unsplash
