Kathleen Merrigan

2025

Merrigan, K. (2025, Jan 21). Agriculture secretary oversees food production, rural life, and nutrition programs that help millions afford healthy diets. The Conversation.

2024

Bellon, M.R.; Benard, N; Vizcaino, M., Merrigan, K., Wharton, C. (2024) True Cost Accounting Using Life Cycle Assessment Methods and Data: A Case Study Comparing Palm, Rapeseed, and Coconut Oils for Sustainability and Nutrition. Sustainability 2024, 16, 10366. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310366

Merrigan, K.A., El-Hage Scialabba, N., Mueller, A., Jablonski, B.B.R., Bellon, M., Riemer, O. & Palmieri, S. ( 2024). How and when to use TCA: Guidance for national governments – Background Paper for The State of Food and Agriculture 2024. Rome, FAO. 

Giraud, E.G., Benard, N., Nayak, P., Bevacqua, E., Hanley, C., El-Sayed, S., Merrigan, K. (2024). Grow Local Tempe, Featuring urban agriculture initiatives, best practices, and a path forward for the City of Tempe. Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems and Tempe Sustainability and Resilience Office.  https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Afa45e91a-45a5-3c30-89b3-c1c8b7b11976&viewer%21megaVerb=group-discover

Bellon, M. R., Hanley, C. M., Jablonski, B. B. R., Jablonski, K., Garry, F., Rhodes, R., Natarajan, M., Benard, N., & Merrigan, K. (2024). Assessing the contribution of nonmarket factors to the market value generated by cow-calf operations in rangelands of the western USA: A true cost accounting approach. PloS one, 19(5), Article e0296665. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296665

2023

Merrigan, K. (2023, May 8). These four challenges will shape the next farm bill – and how the US eats. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/these-four-challenges-will-shape-the-next-farm-bill-and-how-the-us-eats-202555

Merrigan, K. (2023). What is bioengineered food? An agricultural expert explains. Mark Zimmer, ed. Johns Hopkins Press. https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/33264/conversation-biotechnology

Caron, P., Gitagia, M., Hamm, M., Hoffmann, U., Kimani-Murage, E., Martinez-Cruz, T., Merrigan, K., Mooney, P., Riemer, O., Scialabba, N.E.H., and Shah, T.M. (2023). Blind spots in the debate on agri-food system transformation. In FORESEE (4C) – The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems in Times of Multiple Crises (4Cs: Climate, Covid-19, Conflict, Cost of Externalities). Berlin: TMG – Think Tank for Sustainability. Report 3. https://doi.org/10.35435/1.2023.3

Kennedy, E. Torero, M., Mozaffarian, D., Masters, W., Steiner, R., Hendriks, S., Morrison, J., Merrigan, K. Ghosh, S., Mason-d’Croz, D. (2023). Beyond the food systems summit: Linking recommendations to action – The true cost of food. Current Developments in Nutrition, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.100028

2022

Merrigan, K., Jablonski, B., Bellon, M., Jalbonski, K., Natarajan, M., Garry, F., Lemon, S., Overlin, A., Hanley, C., Rhoades, R., Nichols, G., Dillon, J., Bernard., Bauman, A. (2022). Unveiling the hidden capitals of cow-calf operations in rangelands of the west, a TCA TEEBAgriFood application. Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/food/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2023/04/04252023-Unveiling-Hidden-Capitals_web.pdf

Gustafson, D., Decker, E., Drewnowski, A., Hamm, M., Hwang, J., Merrigan, K. (2022). Making healthy, sustainable diets accessible and achievable: A new framework for assessing the nutrition, environmental and equity impacts of packaged foods. Current Developments in Nutrition, 6(10).  https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzac136

Merrigan, K., Giraud, E., Scialabba, N.E.H., Brook, L., Johnson, A., Aird, S. (2022). Grow organic: The climate, health, and economic case for expanding organic agriculture. Natural Resources Defense Counsel. https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/food/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2023/02/Organic-Ag-R-22-10-A_07_locked-002.pdf

Merrigan, K. (Ed.) (2022). Achieving food system resilience & equity in the era of global environmental change. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/16420/achieving-food-system-resilience-equity-in-the-era-of-global-environmental-change#overview

Archambeau, E., Merrigan, K. (2022, June 20) Beware the false dichotomy: The EU need not choose between food security and sustainability. Medium. https://medium.com/@astanor/beware-the-false-dichotomy-the-eu-need-not-choose-between-food-security-and-sustainability-bff9754b19ce

Merrigan, K. (2022). Fertilizer prices are soaring and that’s an opportunity to promote more sustainable ways of growing crops. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/fertilizer-prices-are-soaring-and-thats-an-opportunity-to-promote-more-sustainable-ways-of-growing-crops-183418

Merrigan, K. (2022, January 21). What is bioengineered food? An agricultural expert explains. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/what-is-bioengineered-food-an-agriculture-expert-explains-175003

2021

Merrigan, K. (2021, November 3). Unlike the US, Europe is setting ambitious targets for producing more organic food. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/unlike-the-us-europe-is-setting-ambitious-targets-for-producing-more-organic-food-169078

Merrigan, K. (2021, August 17). Organic food has become mainstream but still has room to grow. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/organic-food-has-become-mainstream-but-still-has-room-to-grow-164220

Merrigan, K. (2021). Embedding TCA within US regulatory decision-making. In B. Gemmill-Herren, L. Baker, P. Daniels, (Eds.), True Cost Accounting of Food: Balancing the Scale (pp. 179-188). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003050803

Merrigan, K. (2021). Tradeoffs: Comparing meat and the alternatives. In B. Gemmill-Herren, L. Baker, P. Daniels, (Eds.), True Cost Accounting of Food: Balancing the Scale (pp. 235-243). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003050803

Scialabba, N.E.H., Obst, C., Merrigan, K., Muller, A. (2021). Conclusion: Mobilizing the power and potential of true cost accounting. In B. Gemmill-Herren, L. Baker, P. Daniels, (Eds.), True Cost Accounting of Food: Balancing the Scale (pp. 263-273). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003050803

Merrigan, K., Giraud, E., Greene, C. (2021). The critical to-do list for organic agriculture: 46 recommendations for the president. Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/food/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2021/06/Organic-Report-2021-2.pdf

2020

Leoni, D., Merrigan, K. (2020). Congress needs to come to rescue of restaurants. Arizona Capitol Times. https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2020/10/21/congress-needs-to-come-to-rescue-of-restaurants/

Merrigan, K. (2020) Striving for better policy with food systems thinking. Agrilinks. https://agrilinks.org/post/striving-better-policy-food-systems-thinking