The Good Food Institute Europe 99d ago

💧 Securing enough and clean water for the future involves rethinking protein. In Europe, most of the protein in our diets comes from animals. As the population grows, so does demand for meat, but the industrialisation required to meet it is draining and spoiling water resources, threatening whole ecosystems and human health. Conventional animal agriculture uses nearly a third of the planet’s freshwater, despite providing only 18% of global calories. Most of the water is used to irrigate the crops used in animal feed. Intensive animal agriculture also produces vast amounts of waste – containing concentrated nitrogen, disease-causing bacteria, antibiotics and pesticides – that regularly leak into the rivers, lakes and aquifers that communities and ecosystems alike depend on. Diversifying our protein sources – by including more plant-based, fermented and cultivated proteins – is one of the most effective solutions to foster more water and food security for all. Alternative proteins require a fraction of the water and land that conventional animal agriculture demands. A 2024 systematic review found plant-based meat products used 71-89% less land and 74-93% less water than conventional meat. At GFI Europe, we’re advancing the research, policies and collaboration needed to make that diversification happen. We’re proud to have been recognised by Giving Green as one of the most impactful nonprofits working to address climate change and biodiversity restoration and protection. Carrying yesterday's #WorldWaterDay spirit forward, join us in building a better food system for the planet, animals and people. Donate today via our website: https://data.gfi.org/q/zc5PT9FAY Sources: 1. Water: thirsty animals, thirsty crops https://eu.boell.org/en/2021/09/07/water-thirsty-animals-thirsty-crops 2. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers, Science: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216 3. Mapping the evidence of novel plant-based foods: a systematic review of nutritional, health, and environmental impacts in high-income countries, Nutrition Reviews: https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/83/7/e1626/7656938