Researchers from Norway, Austria and Switzerland have calculated just how much energy it takes to put livestock products and other foods on our tables. Animal-based products, like meats, fish, dairy, eggs and cheese, were the largest energy consumers, responsible for 60 per cent of the energy footprint of agriculture worldwide, while providing just 18 per cent of all calories.

Kajwan Rasul and colleagues calculated the global energy return on investment for agriculture over time from 1995 to 2019. The authors find that the return on energy investment for global agriculture has increased from .68 to .91 over the study period. Animal-based products are particularly energy-hungry, accounting for 60% of the energy used in the global agrifood system but providing just 18% of the calories.