Monday 19 April 2010

Beer production causing water shortage?

The BBC have  reported that "The amount of water used to produce food and goods imported by developed countries is worsening water shortages in the developing world" (story here). 

The first example they give is the statistic that the whole process of making one pint of beer uses 130 pints of water. How this figure was arrived at they don't say. Or exactly how much beer is imported into Britain from developing countries. But trying to blame beer for environmental problems sounds like they're really scraping the barrel to me.

4 comments:

  1. Have seen a similar figure bounded around previously for beer but never seen it proved. All industrial processes involve a lot of water - steel making especially. Now which countries are top steel producers - India, China etc. Typical BBC bias.

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  2. Yes, it is very strange they pick on beer.

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  3. Beer is made from commodity grains requiring water for agriculture. Now Carling use 100% British Barley. Does the pong use British Barley, EU Barley or globally sourced barley?

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  4. Don't know about the pong but British grown Maris otter barley is considered the best ale malt and is widely used by cask beer brewers.

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