My Food, My Way 2 shown little interest in developing alternative varieties. The new
fungus was named “tropical race ” and was later genetically linked
to Panama disease. TR discolors the plant’s foliage and chokes off its
water supply, leaving the plant to die from dehydration. Transmitted
through soil and water, TR has since spread to other parts of Asia,
the Middle East, Africa, and Australia.
In the Americas, the region that supplies some 0 percent of ba-
nanas traded worldwide, the question is not if TR will show up but
when. Like Panama disease, TR has proven to be unstoppable. And
though a search for a replacement banana variety is under way, tra-
ditional breeding methods are time- and labor-intensive. Specks of
seed must be extracted, then carefully nurtured in test tubes where
only a fraction germinate. A new plant requires about two years before
it bears fruit. Thousands must be cross-bred and evaluated to find one
that can be plugged into the existing system.
The banana is just one example of how the food system continually
promises more, while at the same time throttling back the natural va-
riety of what supermarkets offer and consumers eat. Of the estimated
250,000–300,000 edible plant species in the world, only 50 to 200 have
been adopted by humans.^ Of those, only a small fraction make it to
the produce section.* Each variety on display in a modern supermarket
has been bred and selected for uniformity, appearance, transportability,
shelf life, ease of handling, volume, and profitability. Missing are traits
like genetic diversity to withstand environmental vulnerability.
What else is missing? Look at the typical supermarket tomato.
Rather than flavor, this tomato was bred for color, appearance, and trans-
portability. For mass-produced carrots, the deciding factors have been
uniformity and size (so-called baby carrots, which they are not), even
though full-size carrots pack more flavor. The common potato, the
number-one vegetable consumed, is stripped of most of its nutrition
(by peeling away the skin), making it a cheap medium to deliver fats
(oils, butter, sour cream) and sugars (ketchup).
So here is the irony. Our food system trains us to want more in the
way of volume, while offering less in terms of nutrition. Health-wise,
- Following the common layout of foods offered in modern supermarkets, “produce” in this book
refers to unprocessed fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts.