Producing 1 kilogram (kg) of beef requires a huge amount of water, generally estimated at around 15,000 to 15,500 litres, though figures vary, largely because this includes the water to grow the animal's feed (grains, grasses) and for drinking, with most being "green water" (rain). Some estimates focus on "blue water" (from rivers/aquifers) and find much lower figures (e.g., 67L in the UK, 2,000L in the US) depending on irrigation, while "virtual water" studies cite averages around 15,000L.
Based on this method, it is now generally accepted that producing 1 kg of beef requires an average of 15,000 liters of water worldwide, 95% of which is green water.
Producing the volume of feed requires about 15,300 litres of water on average. The water footprint of 1 kg of beef thus adds up to 15,500 litres of water.
The water footprint of meat from beef cattle at 15,400 litre/kg on average globally is much larger than the footprints of meat from sheep (10,400 litre/kg), pigs (6,000 litre/kg), goats (5,500 litre/kg) or chickens (4,300 litre/kg).
Cooking and drinking: Activities like drinking water, cooking, and washing dishes use around 10–15 liters (2.6–4 gallons) daily. Laundry and cleaning: A washing machine uses between 40 and 60 liters (10–16 gallons) per cycle, while other cleaning tasks vary based on the method used.
In the US to produce one pound (1 lb, 0.4kg) of steak requires, on average, 1,799 gallons of water – for pork it is 576 gallons of water and for a pound of chicken it is 468 gallons of water.
Changing to a water meter may benefit you if you don't use much water. It may also be worth changing to a meter if your property has a high rateable value. This is because some water bills are based on the rateable value of the property.
Research from the Water Footprint Network has highlighted the amount of water required to produce a kilogram of food. Bovine meat requires over 15,000 litres of water for 1kg of food. Fruit and veg typically requires much less water.
It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce just 1 pound of meat. Only 25 gallons of water are required to grow 1 pound of wheat. You can save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you can by not showering for six months!
Table 2 shows that the production of 1 kg of beef requires 8 kg of feed and 14.5 thousand liters of water. For 1 kg of pork, 3 kg of feed is needed and nearly 6 thousand liters of water, while salmon farming seems to be the most effective and ecological because it requires only 1.1-1.2 ...
Almost everything we eat has consumed water somewhere in the process of being made and processed. But beef is credited with one of the biggest water footprints. Our calculations for British beef, as well as studies for other beef producing countries, have assessed this at more than 15,000 litres for each kilogram.
The areas were measured with a compensating polar planimeter and the WHC was calculated by the following equation: WHC=1-total area-meat film area/meat film area. (Hamm, Advances in Food Research, Vol. 10, p.
A good starting point is to try and drink 35ml of water for every kilogram of body weight. For example: If you weigh 72kg (159lbs), you should aim to drink around 2.5l of water per day. If you weigh 85kg (188lbs), you should aim to drink around 3l of water per day.
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! 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.
Pound for pound, meat has a much higher water footprint than vegetables, grains or beans. A single pound of beef takes, on average, 1,800 gallons of water to produce. Ninety-eight percent goes to watering the grass, forage and feed that cattle consume over their lifetime.
So, assuming that a cow requires an average 20 litres per day for 26 months we calculate that 1.0 kg of consumable grass-fed and finished beef requires about 105 litres of water. (Remember that we're talking about Australian beef produced on the driest inhabited continent.)
Added Solution Meat and Poultry Products
Many grocery stores offer meat and poultry products that have flavoring solutions added into them. For example, pork chops may be injected with a solution of water, salt, and sodium phosphate (a solution that can add flavor and moisture to leaner meats).
Meat production requires a much higher amount of water than vegetables. IME state that to produce 1kg of meat requires between 5,000 and 20,000 litres of water whereas to produce 1kg of wheat requires between 500 and 4,000 litres of water.
It is often said that 15,000 litres of water are needed to produce 1kg of meat.
While it's a well-established fact that meat production requires more water than fruits, vegetables or grains, an average water footprint of 2,000 gallons per pound of beef (we now generally use 1,850 gallons per pound) is enormous.
Q: Which agricultural food crop requires the most water? A: Rice requires the highest global total water consumption – this includes both blue and green water.
The most common cause for a high water bill is running water from your toilet. A continuously running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day or more depending on the volume flow down the drain. This can cause a terrible increase to a family's typical water use, so fix toilet leaks as soon as possible.
One cubic metre equals 1,000 litres which is an estimated 25 quick showers. It costs £2.4743 per m3 for clean water and £1.5480 per m3 for wastewater as of 1 April 2025. If you're a metered customer and pay your bill by instalments, your payments may have increased.
Older style single flush toilets use 13 litres per flush. However, dual flush toilets use 6 litres for the full flush and 3 litres in the half flush.