zoinkability t1_j0c6q6j wrote
Reply to comment by fringecar in Inadequate pollination has led to a 3-5% loss of fruit, vegetable, and nut production and an estimated 427,000 excess deaths annually from lost healthy food consumption and associated diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers by Wagamaga
Not all plants require insect pollination to produce fruit.
For example, corn and most other grains are wind pollinated so they would not be affected by a loss of insect pollinators.
By contrast, most fruits, nuts, and many vegetables that are scientifically part of the fruiting process (tomatoes, squash, beans, etc.) are insect pollinated.
The idea behind this study is that the insect pollinated plants tend to provide healthier, more nutritious food, loss of pollinators causes those foods to be in shorter supply, and as a result people eat less-healthy diets that rely more on non-insect-pollinated foods like grains.
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