There is much to say for conservatism as both a disposition and a political philosophy. It can, however, lead its adherents to emphasize the downsides associated with technological development and societal evolution over the benefits — often justifiably, but sometimes at the expense of the fullest understanding of events. Conservatives should not be allergic to the concept of progress; that is best left to progressives. Even those on the right who are consumed with woe over modernity’s baleful state should be able to summon some gratitude for the benefits of living at the most comfortable period in human history. Take, for example, fruit.
Throughout history, mankind has devoted itself to engineering better produce. We are blessed to be present for the apotheosis of this enterprise.
Today, even in the dead of winter, you can head to your local grocery and find any number of wondrous varieties that have no natural right to exist. Huge, somehow crispy blueberries; seedless grapes with vivacious flavor and a light, low-tannin skin that snaps in your mouth; enormous, hydroponically grown strawberries that make no sacrifice of flavor in their pursuit of gigantism; and so on. From stone fruits that somehow manage to taste like confections to exotic oddities once exclusive to National Geographic magazine, a world of wonder is at our fingertips.
As with all modern marvels, we’ve become inured to our age of abundance. Headlines that advertise previously incomprehensible phenomena like “the best new vegetables and fruits of 2024” now cross the transom with such regularity that they barely merit a mention. But it’s worth pausing to take the full measure of this little-noticed cornucopia. Indeed, we may be witness to the dawn of a new edible epoch.
A 2023 study published in the journal Food Chemistry identifies our time as the outset of the “fourth industrial revolution,” which is busily augmenting the quality, safety, and availability of fruits and vegetables. Genetic engineering — a practice that has many detractors but is little more than a speedier form of the selective breeding that gave way to the otherwise unnatural produce we now regard as staples — yields an ever-growing bounty. Not only are varieties becoming more numerous and flavors growing more robust, but gene editing is producing heartier stock better designed to survive in adverse environmental conditions — reducing the need for chemical pesticides and thereby making food less expensive but more plentiful and healthful.
That’s the altruist’s argument for the new fruit paradigm. My more parochial claim in its favor is that the produce aisle has become a cavalcade of marvels that reliably delight the senses. And the revolution shows no signs of slowing down.
“Sumo Citrus mandarins, Cotton Candy grapes and other items like them began trickling into supermarkets about a decade ago,” read a March 15 report in the Wall Street Journal. “But in recent years, demand has been widespread enough to have a measurable impact on overall produce sales.”
“The variety and quality I’ve seen emerge in the past several years has been remarkable,” Whole Foods Market’s executive Erik Brown told the Journal. “When I started in produce, we had one cherry tomato, and they weren’t that great. Today we have upward of 10 to 15 different varieties that are high quality and with different flavor profiles.”
In short, you’re not imagining things. Refined consumer preferences, technological innovation, and the globalized marketplace have combined forces to deliver us into a world of flavor of which previous generations could only dream.