Fruits and Vegetables 50% Less Nutritious Than in 1960s, Study Finds

Fruits and vegetables available today are approximately half as nutritious as they were in the 1960s, according to a new study by UK-based Deep Science Ventures. Researchers found that produce harvested in the U.S. has significantly lower levels of crucial nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, and iron, a decline attributed to deteriorating soil quality.

The study indicates that consumers would need to eat twice the amount of many fruits and vegetables to obtain the same mineral content, like copper, magnesium, or potassium, as was available six decades ago. Specific staples such as bread, cereals, apples, peas, and carrots have also seen a 20-50% decrease in key nutrient levels.

Will Summers, an author of the report, noted that while global food security, measured in calories, has improved since the Green Revolution of the 1960s, this progress has come at the cost of nutritional quality. "We’ve been quietly hollowing out what’s inside our food," Summers wrote.

The Green Revolution successfully boosted global food supply and cereal yields but neglected the nutritional value of crops. This shift has contributed to "hidden hunger," a condition where individuals consume adequate calories but suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Researchers estimate that 2 billion people worldwide are affected by hidden hunger.

The rise of ultra-processed foods has coincided with this decline in nutrient density, leading to an increase in per-capita calorie intake globally. This phenomenon, which researchers term a "triple burden," is characterized by the coexistence of obesity and hidden hunger.

By analyzing historical food datasets and long-term crop archives, including wheat samples spanning 160 years, scientists identified a consistent 20-50% reduction in mineral and protein density in many staple foods. This decline in micronutrients has economic implications, costing countries up to 3% of their GDP annually through lost productivity and healthcare expenses. It also elevates the risk of chronic diseases and negatively impacts maternal and child development.

Future decades are expected to see a worsening of this nutrition crisis due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, widespread soil degradation, and agricultural policies focused primarily on yield. To address these issues, researchers propose a reframing of food security to encompass nutritional security, the establishment of nationwide nutrient-monitoring networks, and the scaling of farming practices that enhance soil organic matter to improve both crop quality and farm profitability.