People often shocked over large water footprint of meat products
Per Foodtank:
Surprise and disbelief. That’s what often follows when people learn about the large water footprint of many meat products.
Common responses include: “Really?” “That can’t be right.” “That’s ridiculous.”
Shock is reasonable after discovering that the global average water footprint – or the total amount of water needed – to produce one pound of beef is 1,799 gallons of water; one pound of pork takes 576 gallons of water. As a comparison, the water footprint of soybeans is 216 gallons; corn is 108 gallons. (Compare more products here [US standard] and here [metric].)
The large water footprints for beef, pork and other meats indicate the large volumes of water used for their production. They also suggest a great use of resources beyond water. The question then becomes, why is raising livestock and poultry for meat so resource-intensive?
The answer is mainly based on the food that livestock eat. Here, the water footprint concept can provide some insight.