Modern broccoli puts way more of its energy into the part we eat — the head — compared to older types, which wasted more energy on leaves and stems.

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Evidence from Studies

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From landrace to modern hybrid broccoli: the genomic and morphological domestication syndrome within a diverse B. oleracea collection.

Cross-Sectional Study

The study says modern broccoli is better than old types, but it doesn’t give the exact numbers claimed, so we can’t say if the 93% increase is true.

Source Study

From landrace to modern hybrid broccoli: the genomic and morphological domestication syndrome within a diverse B. oleracea collection.

Score: 37

DOI: 10.1038/s41438-020-00375-0

Similar Assertions

Today’s broccoli heads are much tighter and more uniform in shape than older varieties, which makes them look better and sell better in stores.

80%

Modern broccoli has much smaller individual florets than older varieties, which makes the head look tighter and more uniform — something breeders have been selecting for.

77%

Over the last 130 years, the size of broccoli heads has gotten bigger by almost a gram each year, because breeders have been selecting for larger heads.

74%

Today’s broccoli varieties can handle hotter weather better than older ones, which helps farmers grow them in more places and during warmer seasons.

74%

The broccoli we buy in stores today has much less genetic variety than the old-fashioned types grown in southern Italy, meaning farmers have lost a lot of natural diversity by breeding for uniformity.

70%