Researchers warn how a looming “insect apocalypse” will remove healthy foods from global diets

14 Dec 2022 — A new study to be published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, explores the relationship between pollination and healthy diets. Based in Boston, US, the researchers argue that inadequate pollination levels have resulted in a production decrease of 3% to 5% of fruits, vegetables and nuts, estimated to have caused 427,000 deaths annually. 

“A critical missing piece in the biodiversity discussion has been a lack of direct linkages to human health. This research establishes that loss of pollinators is already impacting health, on a scale with other global health risk factors, such as prostate cancer or substance use disorders,” says Samuel Myers, senior study author and principal research scientist of planetary health at the Department of Environmental Health.