This article examines the environmental impacts of the agri-food sector and different dietary patterns in Germany, focusing on the country’s  virtual land import, described as imports based on land competition and large scale foreign land acquisitions (sometimes referred to as land grabbing). The paper analyses different dietary and nutrition scenarios during the years1985-1989 and 2006 and shows how these affect virtual land imports and nutrition-induced land demand.

FCRN | Balancing virtual land imports by a shift in the diet: Using a land balance approach to assess the sustainability of food consumption.