Do people prefer pretty over tasty that much?

You can't taste the produce, so you have to use something else to determine tastiness. As a result, produce producers (heh) try their best to compete against each other based on looks. Everything else falls to the wayside as they compete for more sales until you get to where we are today, terrible taste but impeccable looks.

It's why Red Delicious apples are disgusting, tomatoes are flavorless, and Jalapeño Peppers aren't spicy. Looks are the only thing to compete over at a grocery store.