Meat & Plant-Based Calculator
Calculate the environmental impact of your weekly meat meals in animals, water, land, and CO2 used. Or, see the resources saved by going plant-based.
Size My Meat & Plant-Based
Your Habit Scale
| Time Period | Equivalent in Animals Eaten |
|---|---|
| 1 Year | 0.29 animals |
| 5 Years | 1.46 animals |
| 25 Years | 7.29 animals |
How It's Calculated
Calculations are based on the resources used for one 200g (≈ 7 oz) meal of Beef Meals.
- Your input: 3 Beef Meals per week.
- This equals 156 meals per year.
- One animal yields approximately 535 meals.
- The total animals eaten is calculated as: (Total Meals) / 535.
Sources: USDA, Water Footprint Network, Poore & Nemecek (2018). See the 'Science Behind It' section for full details.
Why It's Important
Based on your consumption, you eat approximately 0.29 animals eaten over one year. This figure is derived from the average meat yield per animal for the selected type.
Understanding the direct link between meal choices and animal consumption provides a clear, tangible metric of your dietary footprint. This isn't about judgment, but about providing a straightforward awareness of the scale of consumption in terms of animal lives, which is a key part of the food system's overall impact.
Do you need help with your habit? See our list of international helplines and resources.
The Science Behind It
Your dietary choices have a significant impact on the planet. This calculator helps visualize the environmental and ethical impact of consuming beef, pork, and chicken by showing the resources saved when these meals are replaced with plant-based alternatives. The data is based on life-cycle assessments of food production.
1. Animal Lives Spared
The "Animals Saved" metric is calculated based on the average retail meat yield per animal. For example, one cow produces approximately 2,140 individual 100g meals. By choosing a plant-based option, you directly reduce the demand that drives these numbers.
2. Water Footprint
Agriculture is a major consumer of global freshwater resources, and animal agriculture is particularly thirsty. The water footprint includes water for drinking, cleaning, and, most significantly, irrigating the crops grown to feed the animals. A single 100g beef meal has a water footprint of over 1,500 liters.
3. Land Use
Livestock farming is the world's largest user of land resources, with grazing and feed crop production occupying a vast percentage of the Earth's habitable land. This is a leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Beef production is especially land-intensive, requiring over 32 square meters per 100g meal.
4. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (CO₂-eq)
The food system is responsible for about a quarter of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Ruminant animals like cattle produce large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, through digestion. The entire supply chain, from feed production to processing, contributes to the carbon footprint of meat.