Does it need a lot of water to produce a beef steak?

Grade level:  5th grades

Skills: Multiplication & Division

Related environmental issues: Water

Area level: Global

All foods you eat every day need water to be produced. Among them, beef production requires a lot of water.  It takes 460 gallons of water to produce a 4 oz. beef steak.

  1. Producing one apple needs 33 gallons of water. How many apple can you produce with 460 gallons of water.
  2. Producing an egg needs 52 gallons of water.  Which needs more water, producing 8 eggs or a beef streak?
  3. Producing a grilled chicken (4 oz.) needs 95 gallons of water. You ate 1/3 of a beef steak for lunch. Which needs more water, producing a grilled chicken or 1/3 of a beef steak?

Source: Water Footprint Network

Note) A beef steak here is 4 ounces.

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Answer keys

  1. 33 apples (460 / 33 = 13 R 31)
  2. One serving of beef ( Producing 8 eggs needs 416 gallons of water)
  3. 1/3 of one serving of beef (1/3 of one serving of beef needs about 153 gallons of water : 460 / 3 = 153 R 1)