Alexander J. Stein

@ajstein

Agricultural economist, PhD. Curating and sharing research and evidence-based information on food, health, technology & sustainability. More about me: www.AJStein.de. Moderated private account. Posts + Likes ≠ endorsements. German: ajstein-de.bsky.social

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Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· 17d

#AI doesn’t use that much water: a #ChatGPT query’s water #footprint is two teardrops. But animal #agriculture uses over 1/4 of the #freshwater we use, and the water use of #livestock products is higher than that of plant-based options: morethanmeatstheeye.substack.com/p/ai-water-u... #chatbot #meat

Screenshot of bar chart showing that "Animal-Based Foods Dwarf AI's Water Usage by Orders of Magnitude", and some text: "And remember, this is compared against 10,000 AI prompts, which would still take well over a month, even for the hardest-core Claude fan. Swapping out just one beef..."

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· 18d

Last year, German chancellor Merz opposed hoisting the rainbow flag on the Parliament, for the Berlin Pride (likening it derogatorily to a circus). This year, the event was attacked: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... >> Showing support for fellow citizens since last year's pushback, as an "ally".

A round white button/pin with the word "ALLY" written in rainbow colours on it, stuck to a grey-black herringbone fabric.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· 20d

Different populations within countries have different #environment footprints of their #diets: Highly educated men in urban areas have the largest #climate impacts, while rural women have the lowest. Groups with a smaller footprint… www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2026... +

Title: Not every meal has the same impact. Parts of a photo showing a hand with an apple and another one with a hamburger.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· 28d

Even in grass-based systems like Ireland, the #livestock sector is a net consumer of nitrogen from #fertiliser and the negligible use of #manure on cropland cannot address structural fertiliser dependency: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... #grassfed #dairy #beef #cattle Underlying: bsky.app/profile/ajst...

A figure on the nitrogen (N) flows from mineral fertiliser and manure in Ireland (2017/18), showing that over 350,000 tonnes of nitrogen flow from mineral fertiliser to grassland (i.e. livestock production), but only 16,000 tonnes of nitrogen flow from animal manure to the production of crops (which includes the production of feed crops), i.e. the livestock sector is a net consumer of nitrogen from mineral fertiliser, even in grass-based systems.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· 28d

A transformation of food systems – especially towards healthy, more plant-based diets – could result in 15 million fewer deaths/year and help cut back the ‘hidden’ costs of the current systems ($10-20 trillion/year) of which most are due to unhealthy diets… doi.org/10.1038/s415... +

Overall, the scale of change implied in a food system transformation requires commensurate ambition. As it stands, many policies and subsidies are working in opposition to food systems transformation. Current levers and interventions aimed at changing aspects of food systems—for example, sugar taxes, labelling and advertising restrictions—are insufficient in isolation to deliver the magnitude of change required in the scenario studied here. The substantial relative reductions in production across livestock (36%), sugar (34%) and cereals (23%) by 2050 in the transformed food system versus a BAU scenario suggest profound implications for the political economy of global food systems. Powerful actors behind some commodity industries often move to resist, block or co-opt efforts and represent a principal impediment to food systems transformation.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· 29d

Improving #manure management can help lower #fertilizer demand, but addressing inefficiencies does not address the structural imbalance of #nitrogen flows in animal production and its dependency on fertiliser imports in the #EU. A free version of the article is available at: zenodo.org/records/XXX

Figure 1: Conceptual framework for assessing the role of nitrogen (N) from fertiliser and manure in the EU. A flow chart showing the flow of N from mineral fertiliser into animal production (to feed, then to the animals, to manure, parts of it back to feed or into losses), and the flow of the remaining N from manure out of it.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· 29d

The EU depends on imported #fertiliser, as shown again by the war in Iran. But manure—suggested by some as solution—cannot replace mineral fertiliser because the #livestock sector itself is a net consumer of it. Scaling up #manure “production” would increase fertiliser use: doi.org/10.1111/1746... +

Figure 2: Balance of nitrogen (N) flows from mineral fertiliser into animal production and from manure out of it (EU27, 2017/18). An illustrated bar chart shows that 5.1 million tonnes of N from mineral fertiliser are used to produce animal feed, but only 2.5 million tonnes of N from manure are provided to the rest of agriculture -- meaning animal production is a net consumer of 2.6 million tonnes of N from mineral fertiliser.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jul 14

Record heat placed extreme strain on emergency rooms in Germany. There, the proportion of heat-related admissions in June was 6x higher than normal—an extreme level that has never been recorded before: taz.de/Hitzewelle-E... #Heatwave #ClimateChange #Health

Graph showing relative share of emergency room admissions in Germany, with the proportion of heat-related admissions in June 2026 reaching a level that exceeds the past peaks by far.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jul 12

Alcohol is linked to detrimental health, social & economic outcomes. Land used for alcohol crops could be shifted to food crops. In the US, this could prevent 178k deaths/year and the food produced could feed 600 million people: doi.org/10.1016/j.la... #Alcohol #LandUse #FoodSecurity #Health #Policy

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the United States allocates a substantial portion of its agricultural land – over 31 million acres across corn, barley, grapes, and hops – to alcohol production, a use that provides no essential nutrition. Quantitative analysis indicates that the caloric content of these alcohol-dedicated crops could theoretically feed 425 million people annually - far exceeding the 47 million food-insecure individuals in the U.S.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jul 8

During the heatwave in late June, the preliminary number of deaths in Germany was 30% higher than the median for the previous years. During this week, about 6,800 more people died than two weeks prior: www-destatis-de.translate.goog/DE/Themen/Ge... #heatwave #climatechange #deaths #mortality

Graph showing the weekly death figures in Germany: The median for 2022-2025, the min.-max. range for 2022-2025 and the estimated figures for 2026. The latter show a steep rise for the week of the heatwave, far above the median and the maximum figures of the previous years.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jun 25

As seen the other day: Smaller than a compact car, but one of the few pickup trucks that actually has a purpose and is used to transport stuff...

A photo of a parking lot with a blue and a grey small family car (or a compact car) parked next to each other, and a tiny three-wheeler "pickup truck" that's smaller than the compact cars but with a fully loaded bed parked at an angle to the two cars.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jun 20

I don't drink alcohol. Yes, it is socially devastating. But it's environmental impact is much lower than that of meat. Posting unsupported—and wrong!—claims is a bit weak. You could start by browsing resources like Our World in Data to avoid looking like a troll: ourworldindata.org/environmenta...

Bar chart showing the GHG emissions per kilogram of different food products: 100 kg CO2-eq. for beef, 24 kg for cheese, 12 kg for pork, 10 kg for poultry -- vs 1.8 kg for wine and 1.2 kg for barley.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jun 5

Protein diversification can create many benefits for the #retail & wholesale sector, especially for reaching #sustainability objectives, given that #meat & #dairy are the largest drivers of the sector’s GHG emissions: www.eurocommerce.eu/protein-dive... #Supermarkets #PlantBased #Proteins #Emissions

Pie chart showing the breakdown of the grocery retail's GHG emissions, which are driven by meat, dairy, but also by processed meat & seafood in packaged and dry food products.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· May 17

Indeed... Although with one exception: Food that is transported by air! This can be e.g. fish from Africa, asparagus from Peru, beans from Kenya, some exotic fruits, or berries out of season: progressive-agrarwende.org/regionale-le...

Die Transportemissionen fallen nur dann merkbar ins Gewicht, wenn Produkte mit dem Flugzeug transportiert werden. Wenn in einem Geschäft also – was ich schon gesehen habe – teure “Flug-Mango” angeboten werden, dann ist deren CO2-Fußabdruck deutlich höher als der Fußabdruck per Schiff transportierter Mangos. (Ein Kilogramm Obst oder Gemüse mit dem Flugzeug von Südamerika nach Europa zu bringen stößt über 10 kg CO2-Äquivalente aus, wohingegen der Transport mit dem Schiff deutlich weniger als 1 kg CO2-Äquivalente ausstößt.) Da die Angabe des Transportmittels auf der Verpackung jedoch nicht vorgeschrieben ist, können Verbraucher:innen den Transportweg oft nicht nachvollziehen. Häufig gilt jedoch, dass Fisch aus Afrika, Gemüse wie Spargel aus Peru oder Bohnen aus Kenia, und exotische Obstarten wie Papaya, Guave, Mango und Ananas aus Afrika eingeflogen werden, sowie auch Beeren außerhalb der heimischen Saison.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· May 17

The impact of food miles (transportation, shown in red in the figure) is negligible: ourworldindata.org/food-choice-...

Bar chart showing the GHG emissions across the supply chain for various food items. Transport (= food miles) has hardly any impact on the overall emissions, which are driven by land use and farming. Plant-based food has much lower emissions than animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish and seafood).

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· May 17

Is it OK to inflict pain? Crickets groom a sore antenna just as a dog nurses its hurt paw. #Insects have rich capabilities to make complex decisions & trade-offs, with a realistic possibility of conscious experience. Yet, people underestimate them because… www.theguardian.com/science/2026... +

Screenshot of the article, with a partial photo of a cricket sitting on a thumb.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· May 17

Global food security depends on tightly coupled supply chains linking natural gas, mineral fertilizers & staple crops. If international trade was disrupted, >20% of food calories could be lost and regions lacking parts of the supply chain would face crop supply collapse… doi.org/10.48550/arX... +

Fig. 1: Schematic of the study design. (A) Scenarios define disruptions within the trade network occurring at the country level, for specific types of country blocs or alliances. (B) Trade flow disruptions, resulting fertilizer and crop production losses, and ultimately national or bloc food supply are modelled by combining a chain of network and impact response models. (C) Potential impacts on food supply are evaluated at the country or bloc level, combined with panel data on socio-economic characteristics.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· May 16

Self-sufficiency is hardly possible at much larger scales (let alone your backyard), and producing a wide range of crops locally is inefficient, i.e. it is bound to have negative environmental effects: doi.org/10.1007/s411...

In fact, less than one-third of the global population would be capable of meeting its food demand from local crop production (even if food waste is reduced, yield gaps are closed, and diets are adjusted to more efficient crop mixes), and only 11–28% could fulfil their demand for specific crops within a 100-km radius. For 26–64% of the population, that distance is even greater than 1000 km, with substantial variation between different regions and crops (Kinnunen et al., 2020). For rice and maize, only 10% of the global population can theoretically fulfil their demand within 100 km, while for other cereals and pulses less than 25% can meet their demand in foodsheds with such a relatively small radius (Verstegen, 2020). Even if foodsheds were defined at a transnational level, large parts of the globe would still depend on trade to feed themselves (Kinnunen et al., 2020). If not just staple food or calories are considered but all the nutrients, the foodsheds required for a balanced diet become even bigger (Costello et al., 2021).

Only about 400 million people worldwide live in an area where locally (within less than 100 km2) enough varieties of the food groups are produced to sustain their existing dietary compositions. Even at a continental scale, the number of food self-sufficient people increases only to around 3.3 billion (Pradhan et al., 2014). This shows the importance of international trade and global products in meeting food demands and ensuring food security (Karg et al., 2016; Pradhan et al., 2014; Schmitt et al., 2017). For instance, in Europe, international trade helped safeguard food security during the heat wave in 2003 (Puma et al., 2015).

Also in terms of other environmental impacts, local food systems are not necessarily more sustainable than systems that operate at larger scales. For instance, local food systems may require more intensive farming to produce enough food to satisfy the local demand, but while agricultural intensification can ensure greater productivity, it also causes environmental stresses (Pradhan et al., 2015). If instead cropland was expanded, also such an expansion has negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services (Pradhan et al., 2014). For instance, in the USA, localising maize production would cause a 2.7 million ton increase in fertiliser applications and a 50 million pound increase in pesticide use per year, while the required conversion of local natural land to agricultural uses would jeopardise biodiversity (Sexton, 2009). Also regarding these other impacts, the methods of production and of processing are important for ensuring less environmental impact; “local” or “short” is not necessarily better (Kneafsey et al., 2013).

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· May 1

I had Redefine in gastronomy in Germany already a year ago, or even two, in The Ash in Düsseldorf. (Planted may be cheaper, though? In retail it is.) At one point they also had great grilled tuna but discontinued it (and didn't tell us the provider).

Screenshot of the menu, reading:

REDEFINE MEAT™ FLANK STEAK

grillgemüse | rosmarinkartoffeln | portweinjus

grilled vegetables | rosemary potatoes | port wine jus

150g plant based flank style

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Apr 27

Yes. Beef is by far the most emissions-intensive food. Reducing one part of the emissions of cattle production doesn't mean the meat becomes sustainable or climate-friendly. Plant-based protein sources have a much lower carbon footprint and are a better solution. ourworldindata.org/explorers/fo...

Greenhouse gas emissions per 100 grams of protein: Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalents. The bar chart shows how beef has by far the highest emissions, followed by lamb, prawns, dairy cattle, cheese, milk, pork, farmed fish, poultry and eggs - before plant-based foods follow with much lower emissions: potatoes, tofu, maize, wheat, groundnuts, pulses, peas and nuts.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Apr 12

Unhealthy diets—too little plant foods (like pulses & veggies), and too much meat, dairy and foods high in sugar, salt & fat—are increasing in rich & poor countries alike, undermining public health, the environment & social equality. But… doi.org/10.1126/scie... >>

A figure showing the food environment with (i) the many midstream actors that shape consumer food choices and producer choices within food systems and (ii) key levers to facilitate transitions toward healthier and more sustainable and equitable diets.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Mar 28

"Just Egg," the #PlantBased alternative to chicken #Eggs, has finally arrived on the German market. You can even use it to make choux #Pastry, and of course #ScrambledEggs etc. However, a pack (~6 eggs) costs €4.80 while a 6-pack of free-range eggs is only €2.40—this price difference may also be…

A photo shows two small yellow Tetra Bricks containing "Just Egg," the plant-based alternative to chicken eggs that is cholesterol-free but high in protein. The back of one of the packs shows how Just Egg can be prepared like scrambled eggs.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Feb 16

… but what really matters if you want to save energy: Drive less (and if so, use an electric car) and heat less (reduce the temperature and switch the heating off at night/when away), even if you have a heat pump. And yes, I know my own weaknesses :-( #EnergyUse #Emissions #Households #Comparison

A chart showing the energy consumption of different everyday products and activities. Among the “small ticket” items, for instance five ChatGPT queries consume 2 watt-hours (Wh), a LED lightbulb uses 140 Wh over 14 hours, boiling a kettle three times a day uses 300 Wh, using an induction hob for one hour uses 750 Wh, taking a shower for 10 minutes uses 1,750 Wh, and running an electric lawnmower for 1.5 hours uses 2,250 Wh. However, among the “big ticket” items, driving a petrol car for 10 miles (16 km) uses 10,000 Wh, and using a gas heating (in a 3-bed house) uses 90,000 Wh.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Feb 1

Or, with some nice figures for illustration, see: ourworldindata.org/carbon-footp... or ourworldindata.org/less-meat-or...

Figure showing the greenhouse gas emissions from protein-rich foods, which are much higher for beef and lamb, and still highg for farmed shrimp, cheese, pork, chicken, eggs and farmed fish, and then getting lower for tofu, beans and peas, and negative for nuts (as tree nuts remove CO2 from the air).

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jan 23

How can one test the effectiveness of front-of-pack (FOP) #nutrition labels not by putting those labels on the front of food products' packaging, but by asking #consumers to use a mobile app to cumbersomely visualize food #label info on their phones? ... (1/2)

Screenshot of the article "Effectiveness of different front-of-pack nutritional labels in promoting greater adherence to the mediterranean diet among Italian consumers" by Muzzioli et al. (2026). The abstract says: "The prevalence of obesity and non-communicable diseases is progressively increasing... the European Commission declared its intention to adopt a common front-of-pack label (FOPL) to inform European consumers and enable them to choose nutritionally appropriate foods... The study was designed as a randomized-controlled trial, consisting of three conditions: use of Nutri-Score label vs. use of Battery label vs. no label (control condition). 1900 Italian adult participants were asked to use for one month a mobile application to visualize food label information... Data showed low use of labels: more than 6 out of 10 consumers never used them during the 30-day intervention period..."

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jan 14

Putting #solarpanels on land used for biofuels would produce enough #electricity for all of the world’s cars & trucks to go electric. The world dedicates a Poland-sized area to liquid #biofuels, even though there is a more efficient way to generate energy: ourworldindata.org/biofuel-land... #landuse

Figure showing how much energy can be produced per year on global land currently used for liquid biofuels: 1,400 TWh with biofules for transport vs 31,000 TWh (as much electricity as the world generated in 2024) with solar panels.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Jan 10

The #environment impact of the UK fresh apple #supplychain depends on the sourcing locations. Total GHG #emission across production, storage, processing & transport are lowest for #apples from #Chile, followed by apples from the #UK and Europe: doi.org/10.1016/j.ag... #foodmiles #localfood

Table 1: Average greenhouse gas emission (kg CO2e/kg) by reported stage for apple production and the supply chain by region of production considering United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand, South Africa and Chile. Total GHG emissions are 0.445 for apples from the UK and only 0.440 for apples from Chile.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Dec 13

#Legumes, nuts & seeds (the blue boxes) are rich in #protein and provide as much #nutrition as the—more expensive—animal-source foods like #beef, #tuna, #milk, #pork, #sardines or #chicken (the red boxes), as shown in the top row of the Figure below, but… (1/3) doi.org/10.1038/s430... #meat #dairy

Figure caption: Shares of dietary energy and GHG emissions by item in three benchmark healthy diets, 2021.
Figure legend: Row (a), Dietary energy shares of food items are colour coded in each of six HDB food groups: animal-source foods; starchy staples; legumes, nuts and seeds; vegetables; fruits; and oils and fats. Row (b), Shares of GHG-equivalent (GHGe) emissions are shown for each item in the same food groups. Both sets of results are shown for three extreme benchmark diet scenarios: diet 1 (lowest-cost items), diet 2 (lowest-emission items) and diet 3 (most common items) in each country. Data shown are from 171 countries for diets 1 and 2 and 159 countries for diet 3.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Dec 13

It costs little to build an army of fake #socialmedia accounts for online #manipulation, which can be used for everything from boosting a lie to running a financial #fraud (e.g. $100 can buy over 4300 verifications for X/Twitter accounts): doi.org/10.1126/scie... #fakenews #Twitter

Cambridge Online Trust and Safety Index: 100 USD can buy 4357 verifications for Twitter/X accounts.

Alexander J. Stein@ajstein· Nov 4

The development of new #antibiotics will not be enough to curb the rise in #deaths from drug-resistant #infections, for which the misuse & overuse of #antimicrobials in human medicine & #agriculture are the main drivers… (1/2) doi.org/10.1038/d415... #health #AMR