Walmart Appoints New VP of Global Food Safety Compliance

Walmart Inc. has appointed a new VP of global food safety compliance to head the company's ethics and compliance department. 

Coming from the position of  VP of product safety, quality and regulatory affairs for Land O’Lakes, Sara Mortimore is taking over the role vacated by  Frank Yiannas last year, when he became deputy commissioner for food policy and response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

Mortimore praised Walmart for "embracing digital technologies while not losing sight of the foundational elements of sound food safety management."

"It is adapting to an increasingly complex global supply chain and changing consumer demands with an innovative mindset in food safety that is exciting to now be part of," she said. 

In addition to her role at Land O'Lakes in which she was responsible for product safety, quality and regulatory within all Land O’ Lakes businesses, farm to fork, Mortimore has more than 30 years of experience covering the supply chain and has co-authored a number of books on the topic of food safety and the HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) system. She studied food science and technology at Seale-Hayne Agricultural College and earned her Master of Science from Leicester University, both in the U.K.

Mortimore will report to Chris Cyrenne, SVP of global regulatory compliance. She begins her new role on May 13.