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Data

Protein efficiency of meat and dairy production

About this data

Source
Alexander et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
August 24, 2017
Date range
2013–2013
Unit
%

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

Alexander et al. – Human appropriation of land for food: the role of diet

Livestock conversion efficiencies are given as reported in Alexander et al. (2016).

'Feed conversion ratio' is defined as the quantity of feed inputs required to produce one kilogram of edible product. This is measured in kilograms of dry-matter feed per kilogram of edible weight product.

Protein and energy efficiency are both measured as the percentage of protein or energy converted from feed to animal product.

Original data sources as used in this paper are as follows:

Smil (2013). Should We Eat Meat? Evolution and Consequences of Modern Carnivory Wiley, New York, USA (2013).

Opio et al. (2013). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ruminant Supply Chains–A Global Life Cycle Assessment Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy (2013).

Macleod et al. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pig and Chicken Supply Chains – A Global Life Cycle Assessment Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy (2013).

Retrieved on
August 24, 2017
Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378016302370?via%3Dihub#bib0330
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Alexander, P., Brown, C., Arneth, A., Finnigan, J., & Rounsevell, M. D. (2016). Human appropriation of land for food: the role of diet. Global Environmental Change, 41, 88-98.

Livestock conversion efficiencies are given as reported in Alexander et al. (2016).

'Feed conversion ratio' is defined as the quantity of feed inputs required to produce one kilogram of edible product. This is measured in kilograms of dry-matter feed per kilogram of edible weight product.

Protein and energy efficiency are both measured as the percentage of protein or energy converted from feed to animal product.

Original data sources as used in this paper are as follows:

Smil (2013). Should We Eat Meat? Evolution and Consequences of Modern Carnivory Wiley, New York, USA (2013).

Opio et al. (2013). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ruminant Supply Chains–A Global Life Cycle Assessment Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy (2013).

Macleod et al. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pig and Chicken Supply Chains – A Global Life Cycle Assessment Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy (2013).

Retrieved on
August 24, 2017
Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378016302370?via%3Dihub#bib0330
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Alexander, P., Brown, C., Arneth, A., Finnigan, J., & Rounsevell, M. D. (2016). Human appropriation of land for food: the role of diet. Global Environmental Change, 41, 88-98.

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Citations

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To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Protein efficiency of meat and dairy production”. Our World in Data (2026). Data adapted from Alexander et al.. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/protein-efficiency-of-meat-and-dairy-production.html [online resource] (archived on May 11, 2026).

How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

Alexander et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

Alexander et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. “Protein efficiency of meat and dairy production” [dataset]. Alexander et al., “Human appropriation of land for food: the role of diet” [original data]. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/protein-efficiency-of-meat-and-dairy-production.html (archived on May 11, 2026).

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