We Have Lost 93% of Our Food Variety in 80 Years via IdeaFeed @ Big Think

In the last 80 years, we have lost 93% of the diversity in our food seeds, according to National Geographic. The industrialization of agriculture as well as our current trend toward genetically modified foods has steadily put emphasis on a seed's ability to generate the highest yield per acre. "In 1903, we had almost 500 varieties of lettuce. By 1983, we had just 36. Radishes, peas, and beets have fared no better. In fact, the most steadfast of the crops has been the tomato, which, probably due to the popularity of strange and tasty heirloom varieties, only lost about 80% of its seed diversity."
I have never been a culinary expert of any kind, except for an occasional dip into coffee snobbery, but this should make all of us stop.

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