The Water Footprint of Food 28 Sep 10 By Arjen Y. Hoekstra,
University of Twente, the Netherlands One single component in
the total water footprint of humanity stands out: the water
footprint related to food. About 85% of humanity’s water
footprint is related to the consumption of agricultural
products; 10% relates to industrial products and only 5% to
domestic water consumption. Within the category of agricultural
products, one sub-category stands out: animal products. Products
derived from animals generally have a much larger water
footprint per kilogram or caloric value than crop products. This
means that if people consider reducing their water footprint,
they better critically look at their diet than at their water
use in the kitchen, bathroom and garden. Wasting water never
makes sense, so saving water at home when possible is certainly
advisable, but when we would limit our actions to water
reductions at home, many of the most severe water problems in
the world would hardly be lessened. The water in the