Between 1940 and now, nutrient levels in fruits, vegetables in UK reduced by 50%, says study

Compared between 1940 and now, the amount of key nutrients in fruit and vegetables available in the UK has fallen by around 50%, according to one study.

Depletion has been seen in levels of magnesium, iron, sodium and copper. It also means UK citizens are at risk of malnutrition, experts have warned.

The adoption of higher-yielding fruit and vegetable varieties, industrial farming and a greater reliance on imported produce appear to have led to this situation, according to reports.

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To arrive at the findings, researchers at Coventry University reviewed the nutrients in around 28 types of fruit and vegetables. These include potatoes and bananas, which were available in the UK in the 1940s, 1991 and 2019.

Copper levels dropped 49 percent, iron dropped 51 percent and sodium dropped 52 percent, according to the analysis, which was published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.

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The amount of potassium has been reduced by 5 percent, magnesium by 10 percent and calcium by 2.5 percent.

A sufficiently varied diet is not consumed by ‘many people’. Teenagers also have poor diets, the researchers said.

Several fruits and vegetables today have been bred to increase productivity and profitability, and “this focus on yield has largely ignored any implications for nutritional quality,” the researchers said.

(With contributions from agencies)