It can also be age:

https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2023/05/how-touch-taste-and-smell-chan...

Taste

Adults have about 10,000 taste buds, primarily on the tongue. Each tiny bump contains a collection of specialized cells that help detect flavors in the foods you eat, including sweet, salty, bitter, sour and savory. Your sense of taste allows you to enjoy food and alerts you to food that tastes “funny” and may be unsafe to eat.

“As we get older, our taste buds begin to shrink and decline in number,” says Dr. Hadney. “In addition, the mouth produces less saliva over time. A drier mouth and fewer taste buds lead to a gradual decline in our ability to taste food. Age-related nerve degeneration may also affect the sensitivity of the taste buds.”

Other common reasons for a diminished sense of taste include:

Medications like antibiotics, cholesterol and blood pressure medicine can sometimes affect how food tastes. Others, like antidepressants, can make your mouth dry, which can also change how food tastes and make it hard to swallow. Always talk to your doctor if you think the medications you take are affecting your sense of taste. Do not stop taking your medicine.
Gum disease or denture problems can change the way food tastes. Excellent oral hygiene that includes frequent brushing and flossing will help. See your dentist every six months and discuss any persistent taste-related issues you may be having.
Smoking and alcohol can change how food tastes. Quit smoking and reduce or eliminate alcohol use – not only will making these two lifestyle changes enhance your sense of taste, it will improve your overall health.
Certain infections like COVID-19 can lead to a temporary loss of taste. If the loss persists after all other symptoms have resolved, talk to your doctor.
Cancer treatments can temporarily affect your sense of taste.
Losing your sense of taste can have a significant impact on your health. If food no longer tastes good, you may try to improve the flavor by adding more salt or sugar. This can contribute to health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes. In addition, when eating is no longer enjoyable it can lead to weight loss and malnutrition, particularly in the elderly.

Try using spices, herbs and a variety of colorful vegetables to make foods more appealing. If loss of taste persists or worsens, it should always be evaluated by a physician.

Agnes.. wrote on Jan 25^th, 2025 at 10:01pm:



Well yes -
I know that home grown tomatoes taste much better than the ones in the supermarket.

What will happen now that California - home of the Australian supermarket orange - has burned and the wetbacks pickin' in dem hot fields will be no more under Trump legislation?

Dem billionaires what bought them 'water rights' will have to pay fair price and so the price here will go up - while our own producers past continue to bulldoze their crops.

Once some asshole 'owns' the water passing through - what do you think happens to the other farms?