Dive Brief:
- In a new study says beef production is more harmful to the environment than producing pork, poultry, eggs, or dairy.
- Published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study calculated the amount of resources it takes to produce one calorie in the food sources analyzed.
- With this method, beef was found to require 28 times more land, 11 times more water for irrigation, and produce five times more greenhouse gas emissions than pork, poultry, eggs, or dairy. The study's lead author stated that an average American would reduce an equivalent of 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide a year if he or she switched from beef to pork.
Dive Insight:
Studies have already looked into the environmental impacts of many different segments of the food industry. But this report separates itself by quantifying and comparing the costs of different meats and animal products -- giving consumers a clear understanding of the economic price of their purchase decisions.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association responded to the study with a statement, saying that it is "a gross oversimplification of the complex systems that make up the beef value chain." Greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries have decreased 23% since 1970, and, according to the NCBA, "the U.S. beef industry produces beef with lower greenhouse gas emissions than any other country."