Energetic efficiencies for a few representative human food items derived from land animals, aquatic animals and plants

Range Table - link
Organism Biosphere
Reference Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin, Diet, Energy and Global Warming, Earth Interactions, Vol. 10, pp. 1-17, March 2006
Primary Source (1) Pimentel D., and M. Pimentel, 1996a: Energy use in livestock production. In: Pimentel D., and M. Pimentel (Eds.) (1996), Food, Energy and Society, University Press of Colorado, 363 pp. (2) Pimentel D., and M. Pimentel, 1996b: Energy use in grain and legume production. In: Pimentel D., and M. Pimentel (Eds.) (1996), Food, Energy and Society, University Press of Colorado, 363 pp.
Method To obtain the mean American diet, researchers use actual per capita food supply data summarized in the Food Balance Sheets for 2002 (FAOSTAT 2005). Those Balance Sheets report a total gross caloric consumption of 3774 Kcal/person/day (BNID 104634), of which 1047 Kcal, or 27.7%, are animal-based. Of those 1047 Kcal/day, 41% are derived from dairy products, 5% from eggs, and the remaining 54% from various meats.
Comments Table gives ratio between energetic input (fossil fuels, in kCalories) and protein output in kCalories for various foods
Entered by Uri M
ID 104637