ProVeg International has updated its scientific database, Food System Data, with new sections on the impact of food production on water use, methane emissions, food security and soya.

The database is designed to deliver the most credible figures around the food system, food system change, and the transition towards plant-rich diets. The new section on water shows that the production of animal-based foods generally requires more water compared to plant-based foods and meat alternatives. However, this is not always the case. Depending on the region, some plant-based products, such as coffee or cocoa, as well as certain kinds of nuts, might also have high water footprints. But taking that into account, the database does demonstrate that, on an individual level, moving towards plant-based diets can reduce your water footprint by 25 – 55%.

The new section on methane illustrates how this greenhouse gas is a key cause of climate change and that farm animals are responsible for 32% of global, human-made methane emissions. As methane is a short-lived greenhouse gas, reducing those emissions from animal agriculture is one of the quickest and most effective ways to mitigate or even drastically reduce global warming.

Food security shows that resilient food systems need crops that can withstand climate change as well as market disruptions. Shifting towards plant-rich diets and diverse crop production enhances sustainability and global food availability.

The section on soya shows how this protein-rich crop has a relatively small environmental footprint when consumed directly by humans in foods like tofu or soya milk. However, the vast majority of soya grown today is used to feed farmed animals. Because raising animals for meat is inherently inefficient – requiring large amounts of feed to produce relatively small amounts of food – enormous quantities of soy are consumed by farmed animals, causing considerable environmental degradation.  For more visit proveg.com