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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Are most food crops in the US grown to feed animals?

By Gus Fisher
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YES

Two-thirds of U.S. crop calories are used for animal feed.

In 2013, University of Minnesota researchers calculated that 67% of crop calories in the U.S. fed animals while 27% fed people. Globally, 36% of crop calories fed animals while 55% fed people. For every 100 calories of crops, animal agriculture yields 12 calories of chicken, 10 calories of pork and 3 calories of beef. This remains true for protein calories, where the conversions are 100 to 40, 10, and 5, respectively.

If land currently used to grow animal feed was instead used to grow crops for people to eat, it could sustain 1 billion more people in the U.S. and 4 billion more worldwide.

In addition to croplands, animal agriculture uses two billion hectares of grasslands for grazing. In 2017, Food and Agriculture Organization researchers found that 35% of these grasslands were suitable for growing crops.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Institute of Physics Redefining agricultural yields: from tonnes to people nourished per hectare
Global Food Security Livestock: On our plates or eating at our table? A new analysis of the feed/food debate
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.