Shifting to a healthy diet is not only good for us, but it also saves a lot of precious fresh water, according to a JRC study.
Compared to existing diets, the water required to produce our food could be reduced by between:
- 11% and 35% for healthy diets containing meat,
- 33% and 55% for healthy pescetarian diets and
- 35% and 55% for healthy vegetarian diets.
Researchers compared these three diet patterns, defined by respective national dietary guidelines, to the current actual food consumption, using available data from more than 43 thousand areas in France, the UK and Germany. They found that eating more healthily could substantially reduce the water footprint of people's diets, consistent across all the geographical entities analysed in the study.
The study is the most detailed nationwide food consumption-related water footprint ever made, taking into account socio-economic factors of food consumption, for existing and recommended diets.
Continue reading at European Commission Joint Research Centre
Image via Tanya Rusanova, AdobeStock
