The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that a University of Texas biochemist has completed a study concluding that “the nutritional content of America's vegetables and fruits has declined during the past 50 years -- in some cases dramatically.” Of 13 major nutrients in fruits and vegetables tracked by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 1950 to 1999, “six showed noticeable declines -- protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C. The declines ranged from 6 percent for protein, 15 percent for iron, 20 percent for vitamin C, and 38 percent for riboflavin.”
According to the scientist, this may because major agricultural companies are pushing for crops that can be raised the fastest, which often doesn’t allow the crops to absorb basic nutrients from the soil during the growing period.
The study doesn’t suggest that consumers eat fewer fruits and vegetables. Rather, it concludes that people need to continue eating the basic minimum daily requirement and then some in order to consume what their bodies need.
According to the scientist, this may because major agricultural companies are pushing for crops that can be raised the fastest, which often doesn’t allow the crops to absorb basic nutrients from the soil during the growing period.
The study doesn’t suggest that consumers eat fewer fruits and vegetables. Rather, it concludes that people need to continue eating the basic minimum daily requirement and then some in order to consume what their bodies need.
- KC's View:
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If we get to a point as a culture where fresh produce actually is diminishing in terms of nutritional value, doesn’t that sort of mean that we are killing the goose that lays the golden egg? (We’re mixing our metaphors here, but you get the point…)
There’s something wrong with a system that even accidentally has an impact like this.
