Authors: (California State University Chico, 2023)
Abstract:
According to multiple studies in several countries, the nutrient density of our food has fallen tremendously in the last 50-70 years. The most famous study(opens in new window), done by Donald Davis of the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas in Austin, compared data gathered by the USDA in 1950 and 1999 on the nutrient content of 43 fruit and vegetable crops and found that six out of 13 nutrients studied had declined by 9-38%. The nutrients affected were phosphorous, iron, calcium, protein, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid (a precursor of vitamin C). Similar or even more disturbing results were found in studies done in Great Britain(opens in new window) and Australia (PDF), and declines increased for the longest time periods studied.