All Foods Are Not Created Equally

Every food choice we make leaves a footprint on our planet. Some foods require vast expanses of land, while others emit surprising amounts of greenhouse gases during production. This interactive chart reveals the hidden environmental costs behind common foods - from the beef on your plate to the banana in your smoothie. Use the filters to compare different foods and discover which choices can help reduce your environmental impact. You might be surprised to learn that some plant-based options aren't always the greenest choice!

The global food landscape has transformed dramatically over the past six decades. What started as localized agriculture has evolved into a complex web of international production. This interactive map reveals the agricultural powerhouses of our world and how they've changed since 1962. Select any country to see their top 5 food productions, then compare with another country or leap through time to witness the rise of industrial agriculture. Notice how certain regions dominate specific crops - and how climate, technology, and economic development have reshaped what we grow and where we grow it.

Why bananas? They're one of the world's most traded fruits and serve as a perfect baseline for comparison. The "Banana Index" made by The Economist translates complex environmental data into something tangible: if a food has a banana index of 10, producing 1 kg of that food has the same environmental impact as producing 10 kg of bananas. This isn't just about weight - explore how the comparison changes when we consider calories and protein content. Hover over each bubble to discover surprising facts: that chocolate bar might have 50 times the impact of a banana, while some vegetables actually score better than our yellow benchmark. The red dot marks our banana baseline - use it to gauge whether your favorite foods fall on the sustainable or resource-intensive side of the spectrum.

Changes are natural. Press play and witness 60 years of agricultural history unfold before your eyes. This animated race captures the dramatic shifts in global food production from 1962 to 2023. Watch as traditional staples like wheat and rice jostle for position with emerging crops, see how the Green Revolution transformed yields in the 1970s, and observe the rise of oil crops and animal feed as dietary patterns shifted worldwide. Each bar represents millions of tons of food - and behind each surge or decline lies a story of changing climates, evolving technologies, and shifting consumer demands. Can you spot when China's agricultural reforms kicked in? Or when drought devastated key producing regions? This is more than data - it's the story of how we've fed a growing planet.