It would be interesting to have this primary production data categorised into how much was directly consumed by people, farmed animals and processed food factories.
Yes, an obvious question, but I'm guessing a different data set, as farm-to-gate is the least wasteful part (unless subsidies/tariffs distort markets). It's the shop-to-plate part that needs addressing with consumers.
I was surprised at how much corn there is - the world's largest crop.
There is a lot of corn near me in southern Germany, and I think all of it is used for cattle fodder. It is harvested late - October, by when the husks are dark. I think it is all chopped up and eaten, which explains its high yield.
The nice corn on the cob we sometimes buy, is a tiny tiny part of it.
But what I want to know - how did the Potato crop do?
I lived near a small beef farm in Switzerland for two years. You got to know the farm's annual cycle and the care lavished on the animals, given the premium prices, despite the abattoir being the endpoint for most male calves. Yes, locally grown corn was used for over-wintering feed, as well as hay+molasses. Also Swiss cattle (mainly dairy) consume ~40% of the soybeans imported into Switzerland.
Yes I was going to ask this question too. I expect most of the growth in crop production to be for feeding animals but would like to know if the data confirms this or not.
Yes, my thinking is that crop production mix and tonnage may be impacted more by diet than direct human calorie requirements. For example, has increased demand for meat increased soybean tonnage, even if eventual calories consumed by people are the same because of trophic effects? Or has the recent trend to veganism changed anything?
There's also the question of pet food production. At least 20% of livestock environmental impacts in wealthy nations such as the US and UK appear due to pet food. Global implementation of vegan dog foods alone would spare from slaughter six billion land animals annually, save more greenhouse gases than emitted by the whole of the UK, and would free sufficient food energy to feed the entire EU human population.
Agreed. I don’t have the exact numbers, but wheat and rice are largely for human consumption, but a lot of corn and soy goes to feed for domesticated animals.
Thanks as always, Hannah. It must be so frustrating to share actual top-line numbers and be faced with a comment section of, "But what about this particular local problem?"
I truly appreciate your efforts to show people the overall reality. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't keep them from complaining it isn't as cold as when they were a foal.
Data shows that cattle feed, increased meat production, human diets and pet food aren't 'local problems'. Hence the discussion. Obviously, most examples are local as farmers don't take their crops or animals on vacation.
Being snarky…hottest years ever and some of the most recent highs for carbon dioxide. No one will want to make that link will they?? As correlation isn’t causation. Right??
Ok one additional question and one additional graph would be useful, global crop production/ calorie per person. I would assume if crop yields are near all time highs are we also as a global community producing more calories per person than ever before?
Instead of improving area or enhancing yield percentage, I'm just curious about sugar production after 2017—increasing.
Perhaps a cool solution is reducing sugar yields, then pivoting to the other 6 primary mentioned products (rice, corn, sorghum, millet, soybean, and wheat)
Thanks. This shows an interesting fact w.r.t. climate change and the difference between local and global. Indeed, as I guess you know (both being European and writing in the Guardian*), the rice production in Europe, and particularly (the majority area) of Risotto rice, is struggling majorly.
Picked up a graph from EU statistics** (seems you can't C&P a picture in the comment form), showing the infamous 2022 200-year worst drought in the Po Valley, and related collapse that year. 5-year trend on that figure being reported as -18%. Being a risotto fan I did notice more shortages in shelves in recent times.
Of course what farmers and planners are considering is using different varieties or recipes but it does seem like the future of that area will be different, either moving away from that particular type of agriculture, or changing a staple of the local diet. Probably compared to imagining millions of climate refugees this is minor, but still notable in my view.
Also, what this shows is that global statistics whilst interesting have to be taken in context. Are crops infinitely fungible? Probably not, neither from the biological nor the politicial or logistical PoV, so the replacement of one area of production by another is not neutral.
Just food for thought, thanks for your continued effort. I look forward to maybe sharing a Risotto al Funghi in London or Edinburgh with you :-)
Soybeans naturally have the highest amount of phytic acid than any other legume, which is a strong anti-nutrient. This means that it can actually block the absorption of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium........
However, a high-level intake of soy proteins (above 25.0% weight) can induce genotoxic and cytotoxic damage to the intestine, which can be lowered by adding fermentable fibres to soy-based diets....Another common criticism of soy is that it contains pesticide residues.
Isoflavones in Soy products.....Inhibit TPO activity [ thyroid hormone inhibited !!! Not good !!!]
Why do they say not to eat corn?
“The major issue with corn is that it is typically highly processed into substances that are inflammatory and metabolically unsafe,” says Neil Iyengar, an oncologist ....
Like other cereals, the nutritive value of corn is inadequate due to its deficiency in essential amino acids (lysine and tryptophan), and the presence of antinutritional factors such as phytate, tannins and polyphenols..........AND...........People who live in areas where maize (Indian corn) is the main food source are at risk of developing pellagra because maize is low in niacin and tryptophan.
Pellagra is most common among poor and food-limited populations. The disease is more common in parts of the world (such as certain parts of Africa) where people have a lot of untreated corn in their diet. Corn is a poor source of tryptophan, and niacin in corn is tightly bound to other components of the grain.
Eating too much corn can cause ongoing inflammation in your body, leading to problems like heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. [ It must be the butter that I love eating with "corn on the cob" then !??? Too bad !!! Mushrooms perhaps ????? ].
The highest levels of arsenic (in all forms) in foods can be found in seafood, rice, rice cereal (and other rice products), mushrooms, and poultry..........[ Nope ! Mushrooms are full of it too ! ]
The normal levels of arsenic in wild mushrooms are usually less than 1 mg/kg dw
Root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes tend to contain more arsenic than fruits such as tomatoes or eggplants. The Asteraceae and Brassicaceae families of plants are exceptions to this general rule. Evidence shows that plants in these families accumulate more arsenic than others.
Research shows that certain foods, like rice and fish, can be more likely to contain heavy metals.
Rice and rice-based foods: Rice accumulates more arsenic than other food crops. In fact, it is the single biggest food source of inorganic arsenic, which is the more toxic form.
Rice has more arsenic in it than other grains. If you eat rice or rice products regularly, you may be increasing your chances of long-term health problems.
Wheat is demonstrated to be a significant source of arsenic exposure.
Fish, shellfish, meat, poultry, dairy products and cereals can also be dietary sources of arsenic, although exposure from these foods is generally much lower compared to exposure through contaminated groundwater.
In seafood, arsenic is mainly found in its less toxic organic form. [ Phew !!! I can eat something ! ]
Worldwide, high levels of arsenic have been found in groundwater, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Argentina, the United States, India, Chile, China, and Pakistan.
Bangladesh, India, and China are the three countries with the highest rates of local waterborne arsenic as a poison. [ All those "good intentions" back-fired and caused real problems !!! ]
It seemed like a good idea—because rivers and ponds in Bangladesh were contaminated with bacteria, Bangladeshis switched to wells. But soon after, in the early '80s, researchers realized those wells were harming Bangladeshis with a new poison—arsenic. The underground sediment of the Ganges Delta contains arsenic.
Can your body get rid of arsenic?
Luckily, arsenic is usually eliminated from the body fairly quickly, except that it does accumulate in hair and finger and toe nails................but NOT if you continually "top it up" by consuming it daily in your food and drinking water [ and other beverages !! ]
.
Though rice isn't the only dietary source of arsenic—some vegetables, fruits, and even water can harbor it—
The Environmental Protection Agency assumes there is actually no "safe" level of exposure to inorganic arsenic.
.
Arsenic causes many health problems : The toxic symptoms of dietary arsenic usually take a long time to develop. Long-term ingestion may increase the risk of various health problems, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and decreased intelligence.[cretinism ] etc etc etc..
.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL !!! MAY YOU HAVE A HEALTHY & PROSPEROUS ONE TOO !!!
Interesting about soy. That said, literally no one eats boiled soybeans, and when you look at the anthropological record, you find that most of the ways that humans traditionally prepare foods enhance nutrient availability, and decrease anti-nutrients. As a result I would be very interested to see if the negative effects of soy persist in soy products such as tofu, soy sauce, tempeh, etc. I wouldn't be at all surprised if many of the negative effects of soy that you described completely disappear when they are processed using these methods.
It would be interesting to have this primary production data categorised into how much was directly consumed by people, farmed animals and processed food factories.
How much food did the world waste in 2024?
Yes, an obvious question, but I'm guessing a different data set, as farm-to-gate is the least wasteful part (unless subsidies/tariffs distort markets). It's the shop-to-plate part that needs addressing with consumers.
Cool question
I was surprised at how much corn there is - the world's largest crop.
There is a lot of corn near me in southern Germany, and I think all of it is used for cattle fodder. It is harvested late - October, by when the husks are dark. I think it is all chopped up and eaten, which explains its high yield.
The nice corn on the cob we sometimes buy, is a tiny tiny part of it.
But what I want to know - how did the Potato crop do?
I lived near a small beef farm in Switzerland for two years. You got to know the farm's annual cycle and the care lavished on the animals, given the premium prices, despite the abattoir being the endpoint for most male calves. Yes, locally grown corn was used for over-wintering feed, as well as hay+molasses. Also Swiss cattle (mainly dairy) consume ~40% of the soybeans imported into Switzerland.
Yes I was going to ask this question too. I expect most of the growth in crop production to be for feeding animals but would like to know if the data confirms this or not.
Yes, my thinking is that crop production mix and tonnage may be impacted more by diet than direct human calorie requirements. For example, has increased demand for meat increased soybean tonnage, even if eventual calories consumed by people are the same because of trophic effects? Or has the recent trend to veganism changed anything?
There's also the question of pet food production. At least 20% of livestock environmental impacts in wealthy nations such as the US and UK appear due to pet food. Global implementation of vegan dog foods alone would spare from slaughter six billion land animals annually, save more greenhouse gases than emitted by the whole of the UK, and would free sufficient food energy to feed the entire EU human population.
Agreed. I don’t have the exact numbers, but wheat and rice are largely for human consumption, but a lot of corn and soy goes to feed for domesticated animals.
Thanks as always, Hannah. It must be so frustrating to share actual top-line numbers and be faced with a comment section of, "But what about this particular local problem?"
I truly appreciate your efforts to show people the overall reality. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't keep them from complaining it isn't as cold as when they were a foal.
Data shows that cattle feed, increased meat production, human diets and pet food aren't 'local problems'. Hence the discussion. Obviously, most examples are local as farmers don't take their crops or animals on vacation.
https://www.mattball.org/2025/01/few-things-are-less-important-than.html
Being snarky…hottest years ever and some of the most recent highs for carbon dioxide. No one will want to make that link will they?? As correlation isn’t causation. Right??
How much food did the world waste in 2024?
Thanks for the article! Would you consider doing one for animal agriculture as well?
Ok one additional question and one additional graph would be useful, global crop production/ calorie per person. I would assume if crop yields are near all time highs are we also as a global community producing more calories per person than ever before?
Instead of improving area or enhancing yield percentage, I'm just curious about sugar production after 2017—increasing.
Perhaps a cool solution is reducing sugar yields, then pivoting to the other 6 primary mentioned products (rice, corn, sorghum, millet, soybean, and wheat)
Extra benefit—improve health quality ✨
Btw, thank you for sharing this valuable info.
I'd be interested to see these numbers -- especially soy -- after yields related to recent deforestation are removed; if such a thing is possible.
Important point, especially when this blog is supposed to be about sustainability.
Many assume that we deal with the same crop footprints year on year.
The reality is that it's changing a bit, as newly deforested lands come into production and degraded lands are abandoned.
Thanks. This shows an interesting fact w.r.t. climate change and the difference between local and global. Indeed, as I guess you know (both being European and writing in the Guardian*), the rice production in Europe, and particularly (the majority area) of Risotto rice, is struggling majorly.
Picked up a graph from EU statistics** (seems you can't C&P a picture in the comment form), showing the infamous 2022 200-year worst drought in the Po Valley, and related collapse that year. 5-year trend on that figure being reported as -18%. Being a risotto fan I did notice more shortages in shelves in recent times.
Of course what farmers and planners are considering is using different varieties or recipes but it does seem like the future of that area will be different, either moving away from that particular type of agriculture, or changing a staple of the local diet. Probably compared to imagining millions of climate refugees this is minor, but still notable in my view.
Also, what this shows is that global statistics whilst interesting have to be taken in context. Are crops infinitely fungible? Probably not, neither from the biological nor the politicial or logistical PoV, so the replacement of one area of production by another is not neutral.
Just food for thought, thanks for your continued effort. I look forward to maybe sharing a Risotto al Funghi in London or Edinburgh with you :-)
* This was picked up by a lot of European media in 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/29/risotto-crisis-the-fight-to-save-italys-beloved-dish-from-extinction-aoe
** https://agridata.ec.europa.eu/extensions/DashboardRice/RiceProduction.html
Why don't we eat soybeans?
Soybeans naturally have the highest amount of phytic acid than any other legume, which is a strong anti-nutrient. This means that it can actually block the absorption of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium........
However, a high-level intake of soy proteins (above 25.0% weight) can induce genotoxic and cytotoxic damage to the intestine, which can be lowered by adding fermentable fibres to soy-based diets....Another common criticism of soy is that it contains pesticide residues.
Isoflavones in Soy products.....Inhibit TPO activity [ thyroid hormone inhibited !!! Not good !!!]
Why do they say not to eat corn?
“The major issue with corn is that it is typically highly processed into substances that are inflammatory and metabolically unsafe,” says Neil Iyengar, an oncologist ....
Like other cereals, the nutritive value of corn is inadequate due to its deficiency in essential amino acids (lysine and tryptophan), and the presence of antinutritional factors such as phytate, tannins and polyphenols..........AND...........People who live in areas where maize (Indian corn) is the main food source are at risk of developing pellagra because maize is low in niacin and tryptophan.
Pellagra is most common among poor and food-limited populations. The disease is more common in parts of the world (such as certain parts of Africa) where people have a lot of untreated corn in their diet. Corn is a poor source of tryptophan, and niacin in corn is tightly bound to other components of the grain.
Eating too much corn can cause ongoing inflammation in your body, leading to problems like heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. [ It must be the butter that I love eating with "corn on the cob" then !??? Too bad !!! Mushrooms perhaps ????? ].
The highest levels of arsenic (in all forms) in foods can be found in seafood, rice, rice cereal (and other rice products), mushrooms, and poultry..........[ Nope ! Mushrooms are full of it too ! ]
The normal levels of arsenic in wild mushrooms are usually less than 1 mg/kg dw
Root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes tend to contain more arsenic than fruits such as tomatoes or eggplants. The Asteraceae and Brassicaceae families of plants are exceptions to this general rule. Evidence shows that plants in these families accumulate more arsenic than others.
Research shows that certain foods, like rice and fish, can be more likely to contain heavy metals.
. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/arsenic-in-rice
Rice and rice-based foods: Rice accumulates more arsenic than other food crops. In fact, it is the single biggest food source of inorganic arsenic, which is the more toxic form.
Rice has more arsenic in it than other grains. If you eat rice or rice products regularly, you may be increasing your chances of long-term health problems.
Wheat is demonstrated to be a significant source of arsenic exposure.
Fish, shellfish, meat, poultry, dairy products and cereals can also be dietary sources of arsenic, although exposure from these foods is generally much lower compared to exposure through contaminated groundwater.
In seafood, arsenic is mainly found in its less toxic organic form. [ Phew !!! I can eat something ! ]
Worldwide, high levels of arsenic have been found in groundwater, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Argentina, the United States, India, Chile, China, and Pakistan.
Bangladesh, India, and China are the three countries with the highest rates of local waterborne arsenic as a poison. [ All those "good intentions" back-fired and caused real problems !!! ]
It seemed like a good idea—because rivers and ponds in Bangladesh were contaminated with bacteria, Bangladeshis switched to wells. But soon after, in the early '80s, researchers realized those wells were harming Bangladeshis with a new poison—arsenic. The underground sediment of the Ganges Delta contains arsenic.
Can your body get rid of arsenic?
Luckily, arsenic is usually eliminated from the body fairly quickly, except that it does accumulate in hair and finger and toe nails................but NOT if you continually "top it up" by consuming it daily in your food and drinking water [ and other beverages !! ]
.
Though rice isn't the only dietary source of arsenic—some vegetables, fruits, and even water can harbor it—
The Environmental Protection Agency assumes there is actually no "safe" level of exposure to inorganic arsenic.
.
Arsenic causes many health problems : The toxic symptoms of dietary arsenic usually take a long time to develop. Long-term ingestion may increase the risk of various health problems, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and decreased intelligence.[cretinism ] etc etc etc..
.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL !!! MAY YOU HAVE A HEALTHY & PROSPEROUS ONE TOO !!!
Interesting about soy. That said, literally no one eats boiled soybeans, and when you look at the anthropological record, you find that most of the ways that humans traditionally prepare foods enhance nutrient availability, and decrease anti-nutrients. As a result I would be very interested to see if the negative effects of soy persist in soy products such as tofu, soy sauce, tempeh, etc. I wouldn't be at all surprised if many of the negative effects of soy that you described completely disappear when they are processed using these methods.