The water and land footprint of meat and milk production and consumption in Kenya: Caroline Kerubo Bosire. For beef, it takes 6x more water to produce a gram of protein than a gram of protein from pulses. Topics: Resource efficiency and waste. If you are looking to do your part for the environment and reduce your water consumption, the common advice is to do things like turn off the water when you brush your teeth, upgrade to low-flow fixtures and toilets, or take shorter showers. The water footprint of any type of meat is mostly determined by the feed of the animals. The rest of the water used in producing animals goes for drinking water, service water, and feed mixing water. Carbon, material and water footprint for different types of meat, dairy products, vegetables and fruit Figure Created 12 Jan 2011 Published 12 Jan 2011 Last modified 15 Jul 2016 1 min read. Let's take a look at the water footprint comparison: (Gallons required per 1lb of product) ~Beef = 1,799 ~Sheep = 731 ~Cheese = 600 ~Pork = 576 This dish contains meat but has a fairly low water footprint. Food’s Carbon Footprint: Eat vegetarian. Goat Meat, 8,763 liters of water used to produce 1 kilogram of goat meat / 1,050 gallons of water used to produce 1 … On average, the water footprint of a vegan or vegetarian is around … Beef production needs the most water - it requires over 4,000 gallons (15,000 liters) of water to produce 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of meat, making it the most water-intensive protein! Ginger, 1,657 liters of water used to produce 1 kilogram of ginger / 199 gallons of water used to produce 1 pound of ginger, a relatively low water footprint. i THE WATER AND LAND FOOTPRINTS OF MEAT AND MILK PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION IN KENYA: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND FOOD SECURITY. But not all meats have the same water footprint. Nearly over 70% of the water supply worldwide is used in the agricultural sector. So if you want to do your part for the environment and reduce water consumption, reduce your meat consumption! But the most effective way to reduce your water consumption has nothing to do with how long your showers are. Shrink That Footprint’s chart shows that a meat lover has the highest carbon footprint at 3.3 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.A vegan diet has the lowest carbon footprint at just 1.5 tons CO2e (Carbon Dioxide … and Hoekstra, A.Y. Per ton of product, animal products generally have a larger water footprint than crop products. To put this into perspective, you could give up showering for an entire year and still not save as much water as is required to make a pound of beef. The global average water footprint of chicken egg is 3 300 m 3 /ton, while the water footprint of cow milk amounts to 1000 m 3 /ton. Support sustainable and local agriculture, cattle-production and fishing. All other animal products, however, have larger water footprints per gram of fat when compared to oil crops. TreeHugger has been highlighting various aspects of the worldwide water crisis for the past few weeks, so it seems appropriate to look at the water footprint … (2012) The water footprint of soy milk and soy burger and equivalent animal products, Ecological Indicators, 18: 392−402. 4 A single pound of beef takes, on average, 1,800 gallons of water to produce. See how many litres of water is needed to make 1 kg of agricultural products. All Rights Reserved. The Water Footprint Network maintains a global database on the water footprint of products: WaterStat. Aim to eat sustainable food and cut consumption of those foods that require more water, like meat. Eat Less Meat. Vanham, D., Hoekstra, A.Y. and Hoekstra, A.Y. and Hoekstra, A.Y. G.P.M.R. In terms of energy resources used, animal products are incredibly inefficient. Opt for responsible consumption and the circular economy. That's a lot, especially when compared to what we drink on a daily basis. The amount of water required to produce food depends on many local factors, such as production system, climate, and feed used for animals. Drinking water for the animals, service water and feed mixing water account only for 1.1%, 0.8% and 0.03%, respectively. (2012) A global assessment of the water footprint of farm animal products, Ecosystems, 15(3):401-405. On average, healthy pescatarian or vegetarian diets utilise up to 55% less water than an omnivorous diet. Water footprint of crop and animal … a comparison. - One Green Planet Every food and beverage product we consume requires water to produce, but there is one group of foods that is the biggest … To receive exclusive coupons, availability updates of our sizzling Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage, and other news you can use, sign up below! Vanham, D., Mekonnen, M.M. (2012) The hidden water resource use behind meat and dairy, Animal Frontiers, 2(2): 3-8. However, the fact remains consistent that beef and animal products require much more water than plant foods (chocolate is one of the only exception to this). The water footprint is increasingly used to raise consumers' awareness of water consumption. Th erefore, the water footprint (gallons of water required to produce one pound of boneless meat) was decreased by 18%. For beef, the water footprint per gram of protein is 6 times larger than for pulses. The water footprint of elk and other game is zero. and Hoekstra, A.Y. That's right! The water use of a Beyond Meat Burger is 58.6 times lower than a beef burger. But wait – meat has more protein than plant foods do, so this evens things out, right? Here, the water footprint concept can provide some insight. The size and characteristics of the water footprint vary across animal types and production systems. By comparison, plants have a much lower water footprint than meat and animal products do. All Rights Reserved. Hoekstra, A.Y. This value refers to a kilogram of meat produced at global level by averaging the values of the various rearing systems (pasture, industrial, mixed) in different regions of the world. Meat has the biggest water footprint across the food categories. To put this into perspective. From a freshwater resource perspective, it is more efficient to obtain calories, protein and fat through crop products than animal products. Lamb is a bit less greedy (over 2,700 gallons/10,400 liters), and poultry production takes 1100 gal (4,300 l) per kilo of meat. (2010) The green, blue and grey water footprint of farm animals and animal products, Value of Water Research Report Series No.48, UNESCO-IHE. Let's take a look at the water footprint comparison: Bear in mind that these amounts can vary between reports. It should go without saying that it would be more efficient to just feed people the crops directly instead of using them to feed animals for meat. and Bidoglio, G. (2013) Potential water saving through changes in European diets, Environment International, 61: 45-56. Beef tends to have the highest water footprint, and fish has the lowest (no freshwater needed if caught in the ocean!) This is the feed conversion ratio, and it is directly correlated to the amount of water needed to produce beef. Even when we look at water consumption per gram of protein, vegetables will win. and Hoekstra, A.Y. In fact, most of the water is used to produce the dairy products used in the dressing. 1. Copyright © 2020 Beyond Meat. Copyright © 2020 Beyond Meat. This study uses footprint indicators, the water, land and carbon footprint, to assess natural resources use and greenhouse gas emissions for sheep and chicken meat produced in Tunisia in different farming systems in the period 1996–2005. The water footprint of meat from The Water Footprint of Beef and Other Meat Pound for pound, meat has a much higher water footprint than vegetables, grains or beans. Beef: 1,852 gallons/pound One alternative to meat products is meat analogs, which are processed plant-based foods mimicking real meat products. Hoekstra, A.Y. In the case of fat, butter has a relatively small water footprint per gram of fat, even lower than for oil crops. When we look at the water requirements for protein, it has been found that the water footprint per gram of protein for milk, eggs and chicken meat is about 1.5 times larger than for pulses. The water footprint of an y type of meat is mostly determined by the feed of the animals. The same is true when we look at the water footprint per calorie. One alternative to meat products is meat analogs, which are processed plant-based foods mimicking real meat products. Six Water-friendly Food Choices Eat Less Meat. (2014) Water for animal products: a blind spot in water policy, Environmental Research Letters, 9(9): 091003. Specific production systems in individual countries, however, deviate from these global … 2. They report a water footprint of pig meat of 6,000 m 3 /ton, which is a slightly larger than our global average estimate. (2013) The water footprint of poultry, pork and beef: A comparative study in different countries and production systems, Water Resources and Industry, 1-2: 25-36. Most of the total volume of water (98%) refers to the water footprint of the feed for the animals. The projected increase in the production and consumption of animal products is likely to put further pressure on the globe’s freshwater resources. The follow-up is often, “But what about pasture-raised beef? In terms of energy resources used, animal products are incredibly inefficient. It has to do with what you eat. (2011) Understanding the water footprint of factory farming, Farm Animal Voice, 180: 14-15. It’s sustainable, so isn’t the water footprint much smaller?” Mekonnen, M.M. As data for the water footprints of meat analogs are limited, the present study assesses their water consumption and their potential for contributing to eutrophication and ecotoxicity in fresh and marine receiving waters. Livestock farming produces from 20% to 50% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions.. Meat production puts larger demands on water and land and results in larger greenhouse gas emissions than alternative forms of food. According to Waterfootprint.org, most of the water used in animal product production goes to produce feed for the animals (98%) – that's water for all the crops which animals eat. That's right! The bigger the feed, the bigger the footprint. In addition, increasing the dietary inclusion of distillers grains from 0% to 40% decreased the water footprint in the fi nishing phase by 29%, again based on water allocation. The best way to lower dietary water footprints is to cut back on eating meat. But wait – meat has more protein than plant foods do, so this evens things out, right? A vegetarian diet has a smaller fraction of animal origin (not zero, because of dairy products still consumed). Globally, the main component of the WF of animal feed relates to pasture (38% of the total water footprint), followed by maize (17%), fodder crops (8%), soybean cake (7%), wheat (6%), barley (6%) and oats (3%) . That’s because meat, especially beef, has a large water footprint — 1,800 gallons of water per pound of beef produced. https://www.beyondmeat.com/whats-new/water-footprint-meat/. (2013) The water footprint of the EU for different diets, Ecological Indicators, 32: 1-8. What the water footprint reveals is the magnitude of water “hidden” in meat as a tally of all the water consumed at the various steps during production. For oil crops is true when we look at the water footprint of the animals average estimate sustainable and! 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