health
‘Flavor is under siege in this country’: how food in America lost its taste
In the last century, industrialized farming has killed off delicious food – but a brigade of chefs, breeders and farmers are fighting to bring it back
TL;DR
- Sweetcorn breeder Bill Tracy developed highly flavorful corn varieties that were not commercially viable due to fragility and low yield.
- Flavor has been devalued in the industrial food system, with breeders prioritizing traits like yield, durability, and appearance over taste.
- The 'Green Revolution' focused on increasing crop yields but led to soil degradation and a loss of flavor-enhancing nutrients.
- Modern breeding techniques often simplify crop genetics, neglecting the complex traits responsible for flavor.
- Tomatoes and strawberries are examples of crops that have lost significant flavor due to breeding for traits suitable for industrial farming and long supply chains.
- The decline in flavor may be a result of 'shifting baseline syndrome,' where successive generations accept degraded taste as normal.
- New breeding techniques are being used to restore flavor, but farmers are hesitant to adopt them due to a system that rewards yield over taste.
- Restoring flavor could encourage healthier eating habits and contribute to environmental sustainability.
- There is a call for a policy shift, similar to the Green Revolution, to fund diverse, flavorful crops rather than subsidies for animal feed.
- Proponents believe that reintroducing deliciousness into food can be a powerful force for positive change in society.