Kathleen Merrigan

2026

• Giraud, E., Bevacqua, E., Mercer, M., Benard, N., Nayak, P., Trahan, T., & Merrigan, K. (2026). Scaling up urban agriculture in Tempe, Arizona: A participatory planning case for early urban food policy. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 15(2), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2026.152.026
• Bellon, M. R., Merrigan, K., & Wharton, C. (2026, June 1). Quantifying the relationship between key potential environmental and nutritional health benefits of plant-based meat alternatives and their price premiums compared to Beef. Foods, 15(11), 1949. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15111949
• Neubert, C. and Merrigan, K. (2026, Jan 7) Why 2026 could see the end of the Farm Bill era of American agriculture policy. The Conversation.

2025

• Scialabba, N.EH., Merrigan, K., Obst, C. et al. Springer Open Access Publication Current Environmental Health Report Social Equity in True Cost Accounting of Food. Curr Envir Health Rpt 12, 39 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-025-00503-9
• Bellon, M. R., Benard, N., Coghlan, J. E., & Merrigan, K. (2025, June 23). Towards a More Holistic Comparative Assessment of Plant-Based Alternative Beverages and Dairy Milk: A True Cost Accounting Approach. Foods, 14(13), 2196. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14132196
• 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 (Switzerland), 16(23), Article 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/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:04be2657-9f62-4c3d-be7a-6e9f85454ca7
• 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
• Merrigan, K. (2024, February 28). The true cost of food is far higher than what you spend at the checkout counter. The Conversation.

2023

• Merrigan, K. (2023, May 8). These four challenges will shape the next farm bill – and how the US eats. The Conversation.
• 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://globalfutures.asu.edu/food/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/07/04252023-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://globalfutures.asu.edu/food/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/07/grow-organic-agriculture-report.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.
• Merrigan, K. (2022, January 21). What is bioengineered food? An agricultural expert explains. The Conversation.

2021

• Merrigan, K. (2021, November 3). Unlike the US, Europe is setting ambitious targets for producing more organic food. The Conversation.
• Merrigan, K. (2021, August 17). Organic food has become mainstream but still has room to grow. The Conversation.
• 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://globalfutures.asu.edu/food/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/07/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