Water Footprint Of Consumption Research Articles

Province-specific sustainable diets in China considering nutrition, environment, affordability, and acceptability

Sustainable dietary transition is widely identified essential in addressing the nutrition, environment, and health trilemma. This is particularly important for China, the world's most populous country which is undergoing a rapid dietary structure change. Here, we used a nonlinear optimization algorithm to identify a nutritionally adequate, environmentally friendly, economically affordable, and culturally acceptable diet for each of the 31 provinces in mainland China. We found that province-specific dietary shifts could reduce the carbon, water, land, nitrogen, and phosphorus footprints of China's food consumption by 9.5–25.3%, 10.7–19.1%, 22.4–32.9%, 30.8–40.2%, and 21.4–34.5%, respectively, while meeting the daily recommended intake of essential nutrients and not exceeding current food expenditures. The variation in required food intake was highly province-specific; however, in general, there was a need to reduce the intake of meat, grains, and edible oils and increase the intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, tubers, and dairy products. Our findings highlight the importance of province-specific diet optimization, which can greatly improve acceptance and feasibility of sustainable dietary transition, guide individuals to change their food consumption behavior, and inform policymakers towards regionally tailored food policies.

Exergy and environmental footprint analysis for a green ammonia production process

Using alternative materials in ammonia production process is of great significance in aspects of energy saving and environmental protection. To explore green and sustainable production in a practical ammonia plant, biomass is used as additives in feedstocks. Exergy efficiency and environmental footprint (GHGs footprint and water consumption footprint) are chosen as assessment indexes to evaluate the impact of different biomass contents in the whole life cycle. Main finds can be gained: 1) biomass additives show positive effects on the exergy efficiencies of shift unit and rectisol unit, with increases of 1.5% and 3.1% respectively; 2) environmental footprint concentrates on the operation stage (more than 98%), due to a large amount of feedstocks and energy consumed; 3) when the biomass content is increased to 15 wt%, about 40 kg CO2-eq/tNH3 CH4 is reduced and 0.88 m3/tNH3 water is saved in the operation stage. In conclusion, utilization of biomass additives has a promising effect on clean and sustainable production in ammonia production field. The result could be a reference for chemical factories.

The Water Footprint of Pastoral Dairy Farming: The Effect of Water Footprint Methods, Data Sources and Spatial Scale

The water footprint of pastoral dairy milk production was assessed by analysing water use at 28 irrigated and 60 non-irrigated ‘rain-fed’ pastoral dairy farms in three regions of New Zealand. Two water footprint methods, the WFN-based blue water footprint impact index (WFIIblue) and the Available WAter REmaining (AWARE) water scarcity footprint (WFAWARE), were evaluated using different sets of global or local data sources, different rates of environmental flow requirements, and the regional or catchment scale of the analysis. A majority (~99%) of the consumptive water footprint of a unit of pastoral dairy milk production (L/kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk) was quantified as being associated with green and blue water consumption via evapotranspiration for pasture and feed used at the studied dairy farms. The quantified WFIIblue (-) and WFAWARE (m3 world eq./kg of FPCM) indices ranked in a similar order (from lowest to highest) regarding the water scarcity footprint impact associated with pastoral dairy milk production across the study regions and catchments. However, use of the global or local data sets significantly affected the quantification and comparative rankings of the WFIIblue and WFAWARE values. Compared to the local data sets, using the global data sets resulted in significant under- or overestimation of the WFIIblue and WFAWARE values across the study regions and catchments. A catchment-scale analysis using locally available data sets and calibrated models is recommended to robustly assess water consumption and its associated water scarcity impact due to pastoral dairy milk production in local catchments.

Water, air pollution and carbon footprints of conspicuous/luxury consumption in India

The literature on the environmental impacts of household consumption in India focuses on carbon and ecological footprints of income groups. This article connects conspicuous/luxury (C/L) consumption in India to its local, regional and global environmental impacts. We evaluate carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and particulate matter (PM2.5) footprints of consumption disaggregated into food-basic, nonfood-basic, and C/L consumption across expenditure deciles. We find that all three footprints rise, but at different rates, with increasing expenditure. Notably, CO2 and PM2.5 intensities of C/L consumption increase with income, unlike all other intensities of consumption. However, in all three footprints, there is a disproportionate rise in the top decile, which is driven by C/L consumption expenditure more than the pollution intensity of C/L consumption. These results imply that demand reduction measures in C/L consumption could have broad-based and deep environmental benefits, while pollutant-specific mitigation policies may face trade-offs with other environmental impacts. There is a need for further research on connecting local and regional environmental footprints with the actual impacts, to better understand the relationships between conspicuous/luxury consumption and multi-dimensional environmental impacts in developing countries context.

China’s Water Footprint on Urban and Rural Food Consumption: A Spatial–Temporal Evolution and Its Driving Factors Analysis from 2000 to 2020

To comprehend the intricate interaction between water resources and food security, it is critical to examine the hidden water footprint (WF) of food consumption and its underlying causes within specific nations or areas. This study investigates the changes in the quality and structure of food consumption in China’s urban and rural areas from 2000 to 2020. Following the calculation of the WF associated with food consumption for both urban and rural populations, this study uses ArcGIS 10.6 software to map the spatial configuration of the provincial per capita WF. Moreover, the random forest model is utilized to uncover the salient determinants influencing the WF of food consumption in urban and rural contexts. Quantitatively, rural populations have witnessed a more pronounced acceleration in their per capita food WF compared with urban entities, with a notable upswing in the proportion of meat and poultry consumption. Spatially, regions exhibiting elevated WF for urban populations have transitioned from the western zones toward the southeast and northeast, whereas a marked east–west dichotomy is evident in rural areas. In terms of drivers, for urban demographics, economic variables emerge as paramount determinants for food WF, while rural areas underscore the prominence of natural and technological parameters. The insights garnered from this investigation bear profound implications for facilitating balanced nutritional intake among China’s urban and rural populations, alleviating food-related water resource pressures, and optimizing water resource utilization.

Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Water Footprint Based on Food Consumption in the Yellow River Basin

In the Yellow River Basin, the lack of water supplies is now the largest obstacle to both environmental preservation and socioeconomic growth. The fact that inhabitants’ diets may be altered to save water, however, is gravely underappreciated. Based on the water footprint theory, we examined the water footprint structure and the dynamic evolution process of food consumption in the Yellow River Basin from 1999 to 2019 in this study. The key factors affecting the water footprint of food consumption were then identified by using the STIRPAT model modified by the partial least-squares method. The findings indicate the following: (a) There had been an increase in the Yellow River Basin’s overall water footprint of food consumption from 1999 to 2019, with the midstream region having the biggest water footprint of food consumption (410.8 billion m 3 ) and the highest percentage increase (86%). (b) In the Yellow River Basin, the water footprint of meat eating was 36% while the water footprint of grain consumption was 30%. The lower Yellow River had the greatest water impact per person due to food consumption. (c) Urbanization rate played a promoting role in the upper Yellow River provinces, and GDP and irrigated area played a promoting role in the lower Yellow River provinces. The results of this study are expected to provide scientific support for the decision-making of healthy and water-saving diets in the Yellow River basin.

Estimating the global production and consumption-based water footprint of a regional economy

The current scenario of increasing use and pollution of water resources and the effects of climate change on natural supply coexist with a high trade interconnection, where impacts are transmitted from local to global scales. Identifying and quantifying these impacts is essential to focus and coordinate policies for sustainability. In this context, this study develops a methodology to estimate the pressures of a regional economy on global water resources. Unlike previous studies, which have focused mainly on the regional and national blue water footprint (WF) of consumption, the proposed framework integrates in an innovative way: i) an estimation of the global green, blue and grey WF, ii) a comparison between production and consumption-based approaches, iii) a spatial disaggregation, and iv) a scarcity-based assessment. Specifically, a regional input-output (IO) model and a global multiregional IO model are used, which allows identifying the origin and quantifying the water incorporated in imports. The Tuscany region in Italy is considered as a case study, where the domestic WF has been studied, but global impacts on water resources are unknown. The results show that, although 42.7 % of Tuscany's imports come from outside Italy, the pressures on water resources exerted abroad represent 81.2 % (production) and 73.4 % (consumption) of total. This result is amplified when only water incorporated under scarcity conditions is considered, reaching 96.3 % (production) and 94.6 % (consumption). The proposed approach allows characterizing the most significant impacts, which could guide policies to promote the consumption and import of products with low water incorporated under stress conditions.

Optimizing crop production water footprints in the face of water scarcity: a combined experimental and simulation study of wheat in Zimbabwe

Abstract The optimization of water footprints in crop production is critical, given that agroecosystems currently account for more than 70% of global freshwater use. To achieve this, crop growth models provide insights into the impact of various crop and irrigation management strategies on both crop productivity and water use. This study evaluated the capability of the AquaCrop model in simulating wheat yields, crop water use, and water footprints in the Middle-Manyame Sub-Catchment, Zimbabwe. The model was calibrated and validated using experimental data collected from field experiments. Simulation experiments were conducted to assess the impact of early and late planting, drip and sprinkler irrigation techniques, and no mulch, organic mulch, and synthetic mulch options on the water footprint (WF). The AquaCrop model accurately simulated soil water content, crop water use, crop biomass, and grain yield. Simulation runs showed that early planting reduced WFblue and WFgreen by 25 and 4%, respectively. The lowest consumptive WF was observed with drip irrigation and synthetic mulching. The greatest decline in WFblue and WFgreen (52 and 11%) was simulated under early planting, using drip irrigation and synthetic mulching. Overall, the study highlights the importance of efficient crop and irrigation management practices to reduce water footprints in agroecosystems.

Multi-model assessment identifies livestock grazing as a major contributor to variation in European Union land and water footprints

Food systems are the largest users of land and water resources worldwide. Using a multi-model approach to track food through the global trade network, we calculated the land footprint (LF) and water footprint (WF) of food consumption in the European Union (EU). We estimated the EU LF as 140–222 Mha yr−1 and WF as 569–918 km3 yr−1. These amounts are 5–7% of the global LF and 6–10% of the global WF of agriculture, with the EU representing 6% of the global population. We also calculated the global LF of livestock grazing, accounting only for grass eaten, to be 1,411–1,657 Mha yr−1, and the global LF of agriculture to be 2,809–3,014 Mha yr−1, which is about two-thirds of what the Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics (FAOSTAT) database reports. We discuss here the different methods for calculating the LF for livestock grazing, underscoring the need for a consistent methodology when monitoring the food LF and WF reduction goals set by the EU’s Farm To Fork Strategy.

Decoupling Analysis of Water Consumption and Economic Growth in Tourism in Arid Areas: Case of Xinjiang, China

In recent years, the rapid development of tourism in China’s arid areas has led to a continuous increase in water consumption, heightening the tension between water supply and demand in the region. For this reason, drought-type tourist destinations require a method for estimating the tourism water demand and analyzing the sustainable state of water resources. Existing studies focus on the impact of tourism development on the water resources and environment of tourist destinations. However, few scholars have paid attention to whether tourism development is decoupled from the tourism water footprint. Using an analysis of the tourism water footprint based on the TWF-LCA model and Tapio decoupling theory, this study investigates the relationship between the tourism water footprint and tourism economic growth in Xinjiang from 2003 to 2021. The results show that from 2003 to 2021, the water consumption footprint of the tourism industry in Xinjiang was generally on the rise, and the virtual water consumption of tourists was 3.5 times that of direct water consumption. S-WF is the largest contributor to the total TWF, accounting for 46.13% on average, followed by C-WF, V-WF, Tr-WF, and finally, A-WF, which has the smallest share (less than 5%). The decoupling model shows that, in most years, the tourism water consumption and economy have been in a weak decoupling state, and the growth rate of the tourism water footprint is smaller than the growth rate of the tourism economy. However, in 2007 and 2016, the two were in an expansionary negative decoupling state, that is, the growth rate of the tourism water footprint was greater than the growth rate of the tourism economy. In 2008 and 2019, they were in a weak negative decoupling state, that is, the decline rate of the tourism water footprint was less than the tourism economic recession rate. In 2013, the growth rate of the tourism economy and tourism water footprint declined. Our analysis enriches the literature on tourists’ WF and the impact of tourism activities on water resources, providing a reference for estimating the WF of drought-type tourism and analyzing the sustainability of tourism water resources.

The effect of water footprint and economic growth on environmental degradation: applications of optimization modeling

Abstract In this study, the effect of economic growth, energy consumption, biological capacity, and trade liberalization on the economic water footprint of consumption as an indicator of environmental degradation was investigated. An optimization framework was developed to find the maximum values of economic water footprint based on environmental, ecological, energy, and technical constraints. The results of the study showed that the simulated relationship can be used together to estimate long-term relationships between variables, there is a positive and significant relationship between ecological footprint and biological capacity and a negative and significant relationship between trade globalization and economic water footprint. The middle form of the ecological footprint N also increases energy consumption leading to an increase in the economic water footprint. Moreover, the results showed that there is a relationship with economic growth, and this indicates that the increase in economic growth in this region will lead to further destruction of the environment.

What is the water footprint of EU food consumption? A comparison of water footprint assessment methods

Food consumption is responsible for most global water consumption and associated environmental consequences. Therefore, quantifying and monitoring the water footprint (WF) of food consumption patterns is relevant to support policymaking toward sustainable diets. Although multiple WF approaches are available, such as Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) and the model AWARE (Available Water Remaining) for supply chains analysis, the latest is considered the reference after following an international consultation process. This research aims to develop a comparative methodological approach between the volumetric blue water footprint assessment (WFA), a pressure method, and the scarcity-weighted WF AWARE model as an impact method to evaluate the WF of EU27 food consumption. Due to limited blue WFA data availability, two scopes were considered: an “aligned scope” (cradle to farm gate) comparing both methods and a “full supply chain scope” (cradle to grave) only possible with AWARE. In the aligned scope, almonds and cashew have the largest pressure and impact in both methods (per kg of product). EU food consumption has a WF pressure under an “aligned scope” of ≈54 m3/capita/year and an impact of ≈3525 m3 eq/capita/year. When considering the "full supply chain", WF impact due to EU food consumption increases by 30% (compared with the "aligned scope"), with wine and chocolate at the top of the ranking. Integration of WFA data within the LCA inventory could be explored when WFA data also covers indirect WF of background processes and other supply chain stages.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Undergraduate Apparel Consumption Behavior

Lifestyle changes have altered the consumption behavior of people. As one of the most energy-intensive and energy-consuming activities in the apparel consumption process, laundry and clothes drying have a significant impact on the environment in terms of carbon emissions and water consumption. Undergraduates are a special category of people whose worldviews are in the developmental stage, and it is important to study and develop their beliefs and behaviors regarding environmental consumption. This study investigates and evaluates the relationship between undergraduates’ consumption behaviors and environmental impacts. The 125 undergraduates in Hangzhou, China are classified into three different washing modes: H-mode (hand-washing only), M-mode (machine-washing only), and HM-mode (hand- and machine-washing) on the basis of their washing behavior. The environmental impacts including water footprint and carbon footprint of undergraduates are calculated by the methods of direct consumptive carbon footprint ([Formula: see text]) and direct consumptive water footprint ([Formula: see text]). The results show that the factors leading to the environmental impacts of Hangzhou undergraduates’ apparel consumption behavior are: washing frequency, consumer knowledge, washing method, drying frequency and method and clothing purchase quantity. It also reveals that higher washing and drying frequencies can lead to more energy and water consumption, which ultimately result in more severe environmental impact. Besides, consumer knowledge, washing and drying method do have a significant influence on undergraduates’[Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Understanding the factors that influence undergraduates’ apparel consumption behavior can help cultivate their environmental awareness as well as provide guidance to the government and universities in identifying the environmental impact of undergraduates’ clothing consumption.

Evaluation of sustainability in northern Xinjiang based on ecological footprint-planetary boundary system framework

One of the core issues of sustainable development evaluation is how to precisely quantify the impact of human activities and keep it within the ecological carrying capacity. The planetary boundary theory is based on the Earth system view and measures the maximum impact of human activities on the Earth as a whole, providing a new perspective for ecological sustainability evaluation. In this study, we improved the traditional ecological footprint method and evaluated the ecological footprint of Northern Xinjiang from 2000 to 2020 based on the ecological footprint-planetary boundary system, and clarified the boundaries and status of construction land, water resources, and carbon emissions. The results show that: (1) Ecological pressures increase throughout the study area, led by industrial cities and dominated by energy footprints. (2) The state of water resources exploitation and utilization in the study area is safe, and there is greater pressure on water resources supply and demand in industrial cities. (3) The construction land in Northern Xinjiang expanded by 1.95 times, exceeded the limit by 2.75 times, and continues to rise. (4) The study area changed from a carbon sink to a carbon source, and the carbon emission rose 7.93 times. Compared with the traditional model, the improved model improved the parameter scheme, optimized the ecological account type, and constructed the water consumption footprint.

Effects of the Eating Habits of Romanian Residents on the Water Footprint

Water footprint assessment is an analytical tool that helps us understand how activities, actions, and products from human activity influence the scarcity and pollution of water resources. The objectives of the paper are to study the water footprint that is necessary for the production of food for human consumption as an effective way to determine how food habits put pressure on water resources and to identify ways to reduce the stress found on them. To calculate the water footprint of food products consumed by Romanian residents, two types of data were used: information on the average annual net food consumption of each type of food considered during the research and the water footprint per unit of food consumed. In addition, an analysis was carried out based on the structure of the water footprint and the structure of food consumption. In terms of the structure of the water footprint, the contribution rate of the green water footprint is the highest, reaching 83.5%. This is followed by the blue water footprint and the gray water footprint, accounting for 9.04% and 7.46%, respectively. From the perspective of the structure of food consumption, the consumption of cereals, meat, milk, and dairy products contributed the most to the water footprint of residents’ food consumption, reaching 21.8% and 26.6%, respectively, and contributing 24.2% to the total water footprint of food consumption. Our research is useful for water management, improving the efficiency of use in agricultural technologies, and optimizing the structure of food consumption, such as reducing grain and meat consumption.

Effects of multidimensional urbanisation on water footprint self-sufficiency of staple crops in China

Rapid urbanisation in developing countries has exerted ever-increasing pressure on food and water resource systems. Existing studies mostly focus on impacts of population urbanisation on agricultural water use, disregarding the multidimensional characteristics of urbanisation. Accounting for four dimensions of urbanisation: population, economy, spatial distribution, and society, we assessed the impact of multidimensional urbanisation on the water footprint self-sufficiency rate (WFSS) of three staple crops, that is, the ratio of the water footprint (WF) of crop production to the WF of crop-related consumption, through the case for China over 2000–2017. The socio-economic driving factors and spatial heterogeneity of crop WFSS were further tested. Results show that <30% of high-crop WFSS provinces supplied more than 70% of low-crop WFSS provinces. Social urbanisation and economic urbanisation were the governing positive and negative driving factors of the rice WFSS, respectively. Population urbanisation was the dominant factor attenuating wheat WFSS during the study period, while playing a reverse role in maize WFSS. Impacts of different dimensions of urbanisation on crop WFSS were heterogeneous and even contradictory depending on the crop type, the different processes of urbanisation, and the water endowment and economic level of the provinces. The quantile regression results further indicate that population urbanisation, spatial urbanisation and social urbanisation had greater impact on the higher WFSS (i.e., resulted in virtual water export) of rice and wheat. The current analysis challenges the conventionally monotonous urbanisation-water relationships, and suggests that additional dimensions of urbanisation should be considered when assessing the effects of urbanisation on agricultural water use.

Domestic and foreign decoupling of economic growth and water consumption and its driving factors in the Brazilian economy

Water intensity may present contrasting levels for supplying the domestic and foreign markets, impacting the water-GDP decoupling degree of a country differently. The present study innovates by combining the water footprint and virtual water trade balance to investigate the decoupling of GDP and consumption water footprint (CWF), decomposing the total CWF into Brazilian domestic and foreign markets. Technical efficiency, economic activities, and sectoral population were used as driving factors to comprehend CWF. The results demonstrate an expansive negative decoupling in the Brazilian economy (CWF increased more than GDP). The opposite behavior observed between the domestic and foreign markets reveals that the export agenda (expansive negative decoupling) had a higher impact on water resources than the domestic one (strong decoupling). The primary-exporting sectors strongly influenced this result, mainly agriculture and livestock. The population effect stands out among the drivers of CWF, causing a reduction in domestic consumption and an increase in consumption for the foreign market. This can be explained by the demographic dynamics in regions expanding export activities. In conclusion, economic growth promoted by exports coupled more intensely than the domestic market to water, impacting the use of this natural resource differently.

Impact of urban and rural food consumption on water demand in China—From the perspective of water footprint

With the rapid development of society and economy, changes happened dramatically in the food consumption and structure among Chinese residents. This paper analyzes the impact of residents' food consumption on water resources in China from the perspective of water footprint (WF), which is important to promote water conservation from the consumption side. After calculating the WFs of urban and rural residents' food consumption, the paper explored the drivers of WFs through the extended Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model, and then scenario analysis was applied to investigate how to reduce water depletion of food consumption in China. The results showed that (1) There were increasing trends in the per capita WFs of urban and rural residents' food consumption from 2000 to 2020, and the per capita WFs in urban were higher than that of rural. (2) Between 2000 and 2020, the total WFs of urban residents' food consumption had risen by 370.20 billion m 3 , while the total WFs had decreased from 407.20 billion m 3 to 310.64 billion m 3 in rural as urbanization increased. (3) Consumption quantity and population size were the main factors driving the changes in WFs of food consumption between urban and rural residents. (4) Under the scenarios of baseline, consumption upgrading, and saving food, an upward tendency could be observed in the WFs of rural residents' food consumption, while the WFs were expected to peak around 2030 in urban. This paper argued that it was possible to achieve the goal of reducing water depletion by controlling the food consumption of urban and rural residents. Under these conditions, this paper proposes to develop a water-saving consumption pattern in terms of optimizing the dietary structure and advocating food conservation between urban and rural residents.

Analysis of the Coupling Characteristics of Water Resources and Food Security: The Case of Northwest China

Exploring the coupling characteristics of regional water resources and food security helps to promote the sustainable development of grain production and is of great significance for achieving global food security. From the aspects of regional “water supply”, “water use” and “water demand”, the coupling characteristics of water resources and food security were systematically revealed; the new challenges faced by regional food security from the perspective of water resources were clarified; and effective ways to promote the utilization of regional water resources and the sustainable development of grain production were explored. This paper took Northwest China, which is the most arid region, where water-resource utilization and food security are in contradiction, as the research area. The water-resource load index, the water footprint of grain production and the water-consumption footprint were used to quantify the regional water-resource pressure index, as well as the residential grain-consumption types, population urbanization, the industrial-grain-processing industry and their corresponding water-consumption footprints from 2000 to 2020. The coupling characteristics of water resources and food security were systematically revealed. The results showed the following: (1) In 2000–2020, the water-resource load index increased from 4.0 to 10.7, and the load level increased from III to I. At the same time, agricultural water resources were largely allocated elsewhere. (2) During the period, the food rations showed a significant decreasing trend, and the average annual reduction was 3.4% (p &lt; 0.01). The water footprint of animal products increased, particularly for beef and poultry (the average annual growth rates were 9.9% and 6.3%, respectively). In addition, the water footprint of industrial food consumption increased by 297.1%. (3) With the improvement of the urbanization level, the water-consumption footprint increased by 85.9%. It is expected that the water footprint of grain consumption will increase by 39.4% and 52.3% by 2030 and 2040, respectively. Exploring how to take effective measures to reduce the water footprint to meet food-security needs is imperative. This study proposed measures to improve the utilization efficiency of blue and green water and reduce gray water and the grain-consumption water footprint from the aspects of regional planting-structure optimization potential, water-saving irrigation technology, dietary-structure transformation and virtual water trade; these measures could better relieve the water-resource pressure and promote the sustainable development of grain production and water-resource utilization.

Water footprint of food production and consumption in China

Abstract A comprehensive understanding of water for food production and consumption is an essential part of achieving sustainable water use. Water footprint is an effective tool to analyze the problems of water and food security. The study analyzed the food production and consumption water footprint of 12 major products from the points of spatial, temporal and structure, including plant-based food and animal food. From 2001 to 2019, the production and consumption water footprint presented an upward trend and almost a three-fold difference between the two. In terms of spatial pattern, the high values were mainly concentrated in eastern China. The water stress level and water footprint of food production basically coincided. However, there seemed to be no significant correlation with water footprint of food consumption. Referring to the great variation in water structure, green water was the dominant not only in food production, but also in consumption. For food structure, grain production and consumption contributed the most to the overall water footprint. Finally, the study put forward suggestions for sustainable food production and consumption. The research is helpful to realize green and efficient water management in the food production process and rational consumption, ensuring food and water security. HIGHLIGHTS The water footprint of food production and consumption of 12 major foods is explored from three aspects: spatial-temporal differences, water resources structure and food structure. There was a three-fold difference between the water footprint of food production and consumption. Green water accounted for the highest proportion of food production and consumption. Food and vegetable production and food and meat consumption had a high water footprint.