Over the past 20 years, the amount of essential vitamins in Dutch vegetables has fallen by over 50% in some cases, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday.

The main reason is the use of manure, the paper says, quoting an alliance of environmentally-active farmers and scientists. The over-use of manure means too many dangerous substances are being pumped into the ground, destroying natural organisms, the paper says.
Research by the consumers association shows that vegetables grown in the Netherlands contain so few essential minerals such as selenium that they can barely be recorded, the Telegraaf says.
‘The average Dutch person is short on zinc, iron, selenium, copper and magnesium,’ Paul Blokker, of the farmers and environment association told the paper. ‘And in a lot of food grown in fields, such as cauliflowers, carrots and curly endive, there is no vitamin C any more,’ Blokker claims.
The paper says soil research laboratories such as BLGG and ALNN support the view that mineral levels in soil are below target. And, it says, researchers at Wageningen University believe that too much manure is damaging the soil.