Nutrition777.com

by Megan Carpenter, ABC News, March 1, 2006

Fruits and veggies aren't what they used to be, new data suggests

Of the 13 major nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, six have declined substantially, according to a study by Donald Davis, a biochemist at the University of Texas at Austin.

Using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Davis concludes that recently grown crops have shown decreases of up to 38% in protein, calcium, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron and riboflavin when compared with produce from past decades.

What accounts for this negative trend?  Like any other competitive industry, farmers' attempts to drive up profits have led them to use new techniques to increase production, Davis said.  The faster-grown fruits don't have as much time to develop the nutrients.

"Farmers get paid by the weight of a crop, not by amount of nutrients," Davis said.  He called this the "dilution effect":  As fruits and vegetables grown in the United States became larger and more plentiful, they provide fewer vitamins and minerals.