Meats

Secret Ingredient

Meats
Secret
Ingredient
Author: Jasmin Macias
What do burgers, filet
minion, and steak and eggs
have in common? They all
require the secret sauce or
Figure 1: Grazing cows (Forbes, 2014).

ingredient utilized in meat

production, which is water. While some people gloat over how water savvy they are by cutting
their shower time or finding a usage for recycled water, many are not aware of the amount of
water invested in the production of the foods they eat. Meat, which is a staple in many peoples
diet, provides some nutrients for consumers. However, red meat production in particular was
recently found to generate a substantial global water footprint (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2012).
What is a water footprint? Water footprinting is one of the methods used to quantify the total
amount of water used in the production of goods, which includes expended or polluted water.
Water footprints for different items vary due to the different amounts of water needed for their
generation. In addition, water footprints establish accountability for the fresh water depletion
problem by providing water usage comparison data (Gerbens-Leenes, Mekonnen, & Hoekstra,
2013). Although red meat has some nutritional value, consumers should not overlook its large
water footprint when deciding to purchase meat products.

Meats Secret Ingredient

Red meats water footprint

The total amount of water used directly or indirectly by the animal that provide the
consumers meat of choice, till the age of slaughter accounts for meats large water footprint.
Meats water footprint is a tally of the water footprints of the feed, drinking water, and water
used in farm maintenance for a particular animal. The feeds water footprint varies depending on
what is in the feed and the amount of water that is used to mix the feed. In addition, the water
footprint of grazing, if allowed is also integrated. The last component of meats water footprint,
which is farm maintenance, accounts for the amount of water used for the upkeep of the farm in
order to provide living quarters (Gerbens-Leenes, Mekonnen, & Hoekstra, 2013). National
Geographics interactive article titled The Hidden Water We Use, presented the results of a
recent study on water footprints. The article reported that, the production of 1 lb. of beef requires
a notable 1,799 gallons of water. In comparison, 1 pound of sheep, pork, and chicken, utilizes
731, 576, and 468 gallons of water respectively (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2012; The Hidden,
n.d. ).
According to Berger and Finbeiner (2010), water footprinting is an erroneous method of
measuring water utilization. Their reasoning being that double counting water as fresh water
pollution and consumption, while assessing water usage is possible if the assessor is not careful
in using the polluted water threshold that deciphers between the categories. Although human
error is probable, prior to publishing any findings or sending papers to print, researchers
rigorously review their work to ensure such errors are not made. Researchers are also known to
collaborate with other experts to ensure the integrity of the work, provide feedback, and review
their paper. This practice is similar to book editing before publishing. As a result the likelihood of
this type of miscalculation is reduced.

Meats Secret Ingredient

Increasing global meat demands

Table 1:
In a recent report, the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that, all food
production is predicted to increase by 2050, including meat.
The food demand increase is due to the growing global
population, in which developing countries are expected to be
the largest contributors. As developing countries continue to
progress, meat affordability and availability has increased
adding to the meat demand. However, historical trends of

Predicted Global
Population Timeline
2000: 6.2 billion
2015: 7.3 billion
2030: 8.3 billion
2045: 9 billion
2050: 9.1 billion
Note: Adapted from: Food and nutrition in
numbers. (2014). Retrieved December 6,
2015, from http://www.fao.org/3/ai4175e.pdf

the global population growth rate suggest that the growth

rate is slightly declining (Table 1). Nevertheless, declining mortality rates and increase in the
populace lifespan continue to affect food demands. Therefore, meat production will need to
increase by 2050, to provide for the populations growing demands (Food, 2014).
Opposing views of the global meat demands growth, credit recent findings linking red
meat to mortality by The Cancer Agency of the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as
American and European studies. All three, moderately linked high red meat consumption to the
development of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. The highest correlation identified
was between red processed meat consumption and mortality. The researchers explained that
the main culprits were the amount of saturated fat, salt, preservatives, and cancer causing
chemicals that formed when the meat is cooked (Rohrmann et at., 2013; Safety, 2015; Sinha,
Cross, Graubard, Leitzmann, & Schatzkin, 2009). Although this is true, red meat is rich in iron,
vitamin B12, zinc, and protein (Lee & Galfand, 2011). As a result, people who consume red
meat for its nutrients in lieu of plant products and grains that offer the same nutritional benefits
will continue to contribute to the global meat demand (Rohrmann et al., 2013). In addition,

Meats Secret Ingredient

increase in global meat demands will probably lead to more water being used to produce higher
meat quantities.

The fresh water scarcity problem

Fresh water scarcity and droughts are widely known global problems that have plagued
many people over the years. Lack of water access, has been associated with health, hygiene,
disease, and dehydration problems. Even though the earth is mainly covered in water, a small
amount is fresh water (Clean, n.d.).
According to the United States Geological
survey, fresh water is found in icecaps,
glaciers, permanent snow, and fresh water
lakes. Jointly they make up 2.5% of the
Earths water (Figure 2), which highlights
the importance of global water efficiency
and conservation efforts (The Worlds,
n.d.). Inefficient water usage in the
production of goods is one of the known
factors adding to the severity of the fresh
water scarcity problem. As previously
mentioned, red meat production utilizes
high amounts of water. Consequently, the
increase in red meat demand will require

Figure 2: Visualization of Earths freshwater (Perlman, Cook, &

Neiman, 1993).

more fresh water, which is a stressed resource. The same study that identified red meat
productions larger water needs, suggested that the incorporation of both feed and grazing in
animals diet could help meat productions water efficiency. Undoubtedly, lowering the amount of

Meats Secret Ingredient

feed, which is one of the contributors to meats water footprint would help lower the amount of
water needed to produce meat by implementing grazing (Gerbens-Leenes, Mekonnen, &
Hoekstra, 2013). On the other hand, farmers who have not implemented a grazing system might
not have the resources such as grazing land to make the change. Consequently, red meat
production would continue to require high amounts water, adding to the water strain.
Admittedly, not everyone in the population thinks that the fresh water deficit is important.
Yet, the choices that everyone makes regarding purchases such as red meat, could weigh in on
the global food demand. As a result, something that might be insignificant to some people such
as meat purchasing, could impact the entire population to some degree, including the people
who did not care.

Meats Secret Ingredient

References
Berger, M., & Finbeiner, M. (2010). Water footprinting: How to address water use in lifecycle
assessment. Sustainability, 2, 919-944.

Clean water crisis, water crisis facts, water crisis resources National Geographic. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/
environment/freshwater/freshwater-crisis/

Food and nutrition in numbers. (2014). Retrieved December 6, 2015, from

http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4175e.pdf

Forbes, S. (2014). [Untitled illustration of grazing cows]. Retrieved December 8, 2015

from http://modernfarmer.com/2014/09/inner-life-cows/

Gerbens-Leenes, P.W., Mekonnen, M.M., & Hoekstra, A.Y. (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.

Lee, E., & Galfand, J. L. (2011). Is eating red meat bad for your health? Retrieved December 6,
2015, from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/the-truth-about-red-meat?page=1

Mekonnen, M.M., & Hoekstra, A.Y. (2012). A global assessment of the water footprint of farm
animal products. Ecosystems, 5, 401415.

Perlman, J., Cook, J., & Neiman, A. (1993). Water in, on, and above the Earth [Online image].
Retrieved December 8, 2015 from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html

Meats Secret Ingredient

Rohrmann, S., Overvad, K., Bueno-de-Mesquita, H. B., Jakobsen, M. U., Egeberg, R.,
Tjonneland, A., Linseisen, J. (2013). Meat consumption and mortality - results from
the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Biomedical Central
Medicine, 11(63), 1-12.

Safety of meat and processed meat. (2015). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from
https://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2015/pdfs/pr240_E.pdf

Sinha, R., Cross, A. J., Graubard, B. I., Leitzmann, M. F., & Schatzkin, A. (2009). Meat
intake and mortality: A prospective study of over half a million people. Archives of
Internal Medicine, 169(6), 562571.

The Hidden Water We Use National Geographic. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater /embedded-water/

The World's Water. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/
earthwherewater.html

Meats Secret Ingredient