Vegetables Have Lost Up to Half Their Nutritional Value Since the 1960s

By Patrick Galbraith, The Telegraph

According to The Telegraph, an October 7 report from Deep Science Ventures found that many fruits and vegetables contain 20% to 50% less of certain essential nutrients than they did in the 1960s. The researchers suggest that consumers may now need to eat twice as much of some vegetables to obtain equivalent amounts of minerals such as potassium, magnesium and copper. Peas, carrots and onions are among the crops affected.

Researchers attribute the decline partly to deteriorating soil quality and selective breeding for faster-growing, higher-yielding crops rather than nutritional content. The findings raise questions about whether Britain’s longstanding recommendation to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables daily adequately addresses nutritional needs, particularly for vegetarians, vegans and people using weight-loss drugs who consume less food.

The report calls for greater support for soil-restoring agricultural practices to improve the nutritional quality of food. However, the reported declines vary by crop and nutrient, and the findings do not establish that all vegetables are half as nutritious as they once were.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/07/vegetable-nutrition-halved-since-60s/