Kari Hamerschlag

Deputy Director, Friends of the Earth’s Food and Technology Program

Kari Hamerschlag is the Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth’s Food and Technology Program. Kari implements market and policy campaigns aimed at reforming animal agriculture, reducing consumption of industrially produced meat and dairy, and increasing access to more sustainably produced meat and organic plant-based foods. At Friends of the Earth, she has authored numerous articles and blogs and co-authored several reports including Shrinking the Carbon and Water Footprint of School Food, Spinning Food Farming for the Future, A Guide Avoiding Factory Farmed Meat and Dairy and Chain Reaction. Prior to Friends of the Earth, Kari worked for five years as a Senior Analyst and Advocate with the Environmental Working Group. At EWG, Kari focused on a wide range of food and agriculture issues including the US farm bill, GMOs, climate change, organic agriculture, food security, and conservation policy. Kari has done extensive research on the links between food production and climate change and was the lead author on a comprehensive web-based Meateater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health. Prior to EWG, Kari worked as a sustainable food policy and fair trade consultant. Kari began her career more than twenty years ago as an organizer, researcher and advocate for socially and environmentally sound development policy, focused in Latin America. Kari has a Masters from UC Berkeley in Latin American Studies and City and Regional Planning. More info on her work at Friends of the Earth is at goodfoodcampaign.org.