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According to the chart, the lion's share of this modern energy expense on food is storage, services, transportation and processing. But do we not save energy on the convenience? It makes some sense that we spend more calories on growing food because we use few people and many machines, as opposed to 90% of people plowing their own (or not exactly their own, but details) share of a field. But is the freed manpower accounted for?
Uh, no. We waste copious amounts of food making sure that you can get whatever you want no matter the season/location of origin. "Storage, services, transportation and processing" ARE the convenience!
No. Why would it be? Do you account for how many horses are no longer required to carry people long distances when working out the economics of cars?
No, because I'm not a horse.
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At the Malthusian limit, the amount of non-solar energy put into food is equal to the energy necessary to sustain every human being (all of whom are working directly or indirectly to produce that food), and that is equal to the amount of solar energy put into the food times all the efficiencies involved minus wastage. Humanity has often been near there.. so yeah, the freed manpower is absolutely enormous.
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