Beef vs Tofu
Key facts
- Compared
- Beef vs Tofu
- Unit
- per kg of food
- Metrics
- Greenhouse gases, Land use, Freshwater withdrawal, Protein
- Source
- Poore & Nemecek (2018), via Our World in Data · USDA FoodData Central · Beef figures describe beef-herd beef; protein uses cooked beef and firm calcium-set tofu.
per kg of food
Source: Poore & Nemecek (2018), via Our World in Data: ourworldindata.org · USDA FoodData Central: fdc.nal.usda.gov · Beef figures describe beef-herd beef; protein uses cooked beef and firm calcium-set tofu.
Verdict
Tofu cuts emissions about 30-fold and land use over 90-fold versus beef.
Questions people ask
Doesn't soy cause deforestation?
Around three-quarters of global soy is used as animal feed. Soy for tofu is a smaller share; its origin and deforestation risk depend on the supply chain.
Related comparisons
Data: Poore & Nemecek (2018), via Our World in Data · USDA FoodData Central · Beef figures describe beef-herd beef; protein uses cooked beef and firm calcium-set tofu. · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.
What the comparison can and cannot tell you
Check the denominator before interpreting a difference: a kilogram of food, a serving, a calorie and a gram of protein answer different questions. Equal weights are not automatically nutritionally equivalent meals. Keep the original source's system boundaries and preparation state when comparing values.
Environmental estimates depend on farming, processing, geography and the study's assumptions. A global average is not a measurement of your own purchase. Broad patterns can guide choices, but the size or ranking of a particular difference needs the relevant study rather than a blanket claim about every animal and plant food.
- Use the same unit and the same raw or cooked state for both foods.
- Check which impacts the source includes; carbon, water and land are separate measures.
- Do not infer a medical benefit from a lower footprint.
- Balance the replacement meal with suitable protein, energy and micronutrient sources.