Erica Meier is an animal rights advocate and was the president and executive director of

Animal Outlook Animal Outlook, formerly known as Compassion Over Killing (COK), is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., headed since May 2021 by Executive Director Cheryl Leahy, who succeeded Erica Meier. Formed in 1995, as a high ...

(previously known as Compassion Over Killing) from 2005 to 2021.

Early life and career beginnings

Meier's father owned a small meat-packing company. However, her strong connection to animals made her uncomfortable with eating meat. In high school, she learned more about how meat production can be harmful to the planet, and she decided to become vegetarian. When she later learned about animal mistreatment on factory farms and the conditions for dairy cows and egg-laying hens, she became vegan. This led her to switch her career interests from environmental protection to animal protection. Meier interned with

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

in college and spent three years working there after graduating. She developed an interest in humane law enforcement and moved to Washington, D.C. to work as an animal control officer for the Washington Humane Society, where she rescued animals and helped to enforce anti-cruelty laws.

Career

In 2005, Meier became animal advocacy organization Animal Outlook's president and executive director. Animal Outlook's work is focused on the protection of farmed animals, and the organization has become best known for its investigations into the conditions facing animals on factory farms. Meier led Animal Outlook through several successful campaigns, including ending the egg industry's use of "Animal Care Certified" claims that could mislead consumers, as well as persuading companies like

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Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

, and

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to offer vegan options. She also persuaded vegetarian brands Boca Burger, Lightlife,

Morningstar Farms Morningstar Farms (stylized as MorningStar Farms) is a division of the Kellogg Company that produces vegan and vegetarian food. Many of their offerings are plant-based variations of traditionally meat products. Their products include meatless c ...

, and Quorn to eliminate or reduce their use of eggs in their products. Meier was an outspoken leader of Animal Outlook. She delivered speeches at events including the

Animal Rights National Conference The Animal Rights National Conference is an annual conference in the United States. Started in 1981 under a different name, since 2000 it has been organized by Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM). History In the 1970s, Alex Hershaft started noti ...

, the Maryland Animal Law Symposium, the Forum on Industrial Animal Farming hosted by the Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic, the National Conference to End Factory Farming, and various

vegetarian festivals Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

. She also appeared in major news outlets including CNN, ABC's Nightline, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, and Reuters. Meier provided information used in Mark Hawthorne's book '' Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism'', and she has been featured in documentary films, such as '' Speciesism: The Movie'' (2013), ''

Meat the Future ''Meat the Future'' is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Liz Marshall. The film profiles various scientists who are working on the development of cultured meat. The film premiered as part of the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Do ...

'' (2020), and ''Meat Me Halfway'' (2021). Meier is a frequent contributor to '' HuffPost'' and '' VegNews'', and she has written for '' The New York Times''.

Personal life

Meier has been vegan since college. In 2013, Meier was inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meier, Erica Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American animal rights activists American veganism activists