Overview
- A Deep Science Ventures analysis published in early October 2026 reports that common crops including wheat, apples, carrots, peas and cereals have lost roughly 20 to 50 percent of key minerals and protein since the 1960s.
- The researchers reached their estimate by reanalyzing historical food composition datasets and long‑term crop archives, including decades‑spanning wheat samples, to compare nutrient concentrations over time.
- Study authors say the losses stem mainly from deteriorating soil health and decades of breeding and farming that prioritized yield over nutrient content, with higher atmospheric CO2 also cited as a possible diluting factor.
- The paper models public‑health and economic effects, warning that lower nutrient density could raise micronutrient deficiency risks, that GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs may amplify those risks, and that shortfalls could cost countries up to about 3% of GDP and put an estimated 5 million UK working‑age adults below safe nutrient levels.
- The report has prompted calls for soil restoration, breeding for nutrient density and nationwide nutrient monitoring, while other scientists have questioned the scale of the decline because crop varieties, farming practices and lab methods have changed across decades.