America's love for grapefruit is declining due to recent research which says mixing grapefruit and certain medicines can be lethal.
In 1976 the average American would eat 25 pounds of grapefruit a year, whilst in 2013 this dropped as American's only ate 2.5 pounds of grapefruit each year.
The decline in grapefruit consumption is linked to research which suggests eating the citrus could intensify the effects of some medications. More recent research has built on the notion that mixing grapefruit's and certain medications can be a lethal combination.
“Our consumers are in their 50s, 60s and 70s.” said Doug Bournique, who is the executive vice president of the Indian River Citrus League, which represents the largest grapefruit region in the world. “I have spoken to many of them who say ‘I love grapefruit, but my doctor says I can’t eat it.’”
Changes happening in the juice aisle aren’t helping either. The growth of competition from various other fruits has crippled the popularity of processed grapefruit, which is normally used in drinks, and that’s compounded by the fact that people are drinking less juice overall. Grapefruit juice consumption fell by almost 60% between 2000 and 2007 alone.
Also another contributor to the grapefruit's demise is that Americans want foods that are fast and easy, fruits that can be eaten with a single hand. “It’s not a convenient fruit.” said Rusty Banack, a Florida grapefruit farmer, “Nowadays people want to grab a banana, an apple, and head out the door.”
Americans eat almost 40% more fresh fruit that they did about 40 years ago. Bananas, in particular, have grown in popularity over the years, consumption is more than 60% greater per person than it was in the 1970s.
