How much water went into that food?
Almost all the water anyone uses is in their food. Direct household use is a rounding error beside it.
55% of a kilogram of wheat
1,000 L is more than 2 of the 9 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| a kilogram of potatoes | 287 L | 3.48× | |
| a kilogram of vegetables | 322 L | 3.11× | |
| a kilogram of wheat | 1,827 L | 0.547× | |
| a kilogram of rice | 2,497 L | 0.4× | |
| a kilogram of eggs | 3,265 L | 0.306× | |
| a kilogram of chicken | 4,325 L | 0.231× | |
| a kilogram of cheese | 5,060 L | 0.198× | |
| a kilogram of beef | 15,415 L | 1/15.4 | |
| a kilogram of chocolate | 17,196 L | 1/17.2 |
Worth knowing
- A kilogram of beef takes about 15 400 litres of water to produce — a hundred baths.
- Roughly a third of that is rainwater that would have fallen on the pasture anyway, which is why comparisons need care.
Frequently asked
Why does beef use so much water?
Because the animal eats crops for two to three years first, and all the water for those crops counts. Feed conversion is the whole story.
Is all of that water "used up"?
No. Water footprints separate green water (rain), blue water (irrigation and surface supply) and grey water (dilution of pollution). Only blue water competes directly with other uses.
How to read this
Figures are global averages from the Water Footprint Network; regional values vary by a factor of five or more.