Dale Morton's Resume

President, Morton Food Safety Associates LLC (current)

Food Safety Professional offering over 35 years of corporate food safety program development experience. 

  • Provide food safety and risk management guidance with emphasis on corporate food safety program development.

  • Develop standardized local, regional and global platforms for crisis management, HACCP, allergens, supplier quality, environmental programs, thermal processing, aseptic technology and sanitation.

  • Align corporate strategies to develop and optimize standardized food safety programming.

  • Ensure Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance including serving as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and FDA recognized Lead Trainer for FSMA.

  • Coordinate Food Safety plan development (a requirement of FSMA).

  • Conduct thermal validation studies to validate process kill steps.

  • Develop validation and verification programs for plant environments.

  • Develop company-wide recall plans (required by FSMA).

  • Design and implement sanitation, allergen and supply chain preventive controls.

PepsiCo (1995 – 2015)

Sr. Director, Global Food Safety (3/10 – 4/15)

As PepsiCo’s most senior executive directly responsible for food safety, successfully developed and oversaw programs designed to ensure the safety of all food products produced globally by PepsiCo, an $80 billion company

• Globally Managed a team of 45 Food Safety professionals in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

• Directed and standardized corporate programs in food safety, food defense, crisis management and regulatory.

• Developed standardized global platforms for crisis management, HACCP, allergens, supplier quality, environmental pathogen control, pest management, aseptic, sanitation, Food Safety Modernization Act, GFSI and traceability.

• Aligned corporate on single Food Safety Audit Strategy resulting in standardized global metrics and KPI’s.

• Secretary of PepsiCo’s Executive Product Integrity Council governing food safety policy at PepsiCo.

• Sr. Director of the PepsiCo Food Safety Forum resulting in standard and measurable food safety programs at all PepsiCo manufacturing facilities for HACCP, allergen control, recall management, pest control and audit strategy.

• Sponsored the PepsiCo Global Microbiology Council resulting in standard practices in microbiology, sanitation, thermal processing and aseptic technologies

• Served as Dean of the PepsiCo Food Safety and Regulatory College (PepsiCo R&D University)

 

Director, Food Safety, PCNA, QTG, Pepsi International (7/07 – 3/10)

Oversaw food safety programs for Pepsi Cola North America (PCNA), Quaker / Tropicana / Gatorade (QTG) and Pepsi International Beverages (PI)

· Lead sanitation, thermal processing, food defense, product safety and crisis management for PCNA and QTG

· Lead standardization of global food safety programs in alignment with the PepsiCo Food Safety Policy

· Member of the PepsiCo Product Integrity Council (PPIC) and International Food Safety and Nutrition (IFSAN)

· Lead the sanitation and clean-up efforts in Cedar Rapids after the Quaker plant was flooded

 

Sr. Quality Manager, Food Safety Programs, PepsiCo Beverages and Foods (12/03 – 7/07)

Lead product safety and crisis management team for PepsiCo Beverages and Foods (PBF)

· Lead food safety efforts across PBF, including HACCP, allergen and crop residue programs

· Directed sanitation/GMP and regulatory programs, including contacts with federal, state and local regulators

· Coordinated quality auditing functions to provide safe, stable, legal and conforming products

· Lead the supply quality effort, including the supplier audit and approval process

· Lead the development of standardized quality systems across all divisions / business units

· Developed the PepsiCo Global Food Safety Policy resulting in globally aligned food safety targets

 

Sr. Group Manager, Microbiology, Thermal Processing & Technical Services, Quaker Oats Company (2/95 - 8/01), PepsiCo Beverages and Foods (8/01 – 12/03)

Oversaw microbiological research and technical support for Quaker Oats and (post-merger) PBF

· As process authority, standardized and optimized thermal processes for all low acid canned foods and acidified beverages

· Improved microbial methods to increase food safety and ingredient and product availability

· Revised plant sanitation and environmental practices, increasing line capability and availability

· Eliminated ingredient and post-process contamination causing spoilage in hot fill beverages

· Oversaw challenge testing and process confirmation of aseptic systems

· Reviewed and approved all microbiological specifications for ingredients

Armour - Dial Corporation (1990 - 1995)

Sr. Research Microbiologist/HACCP Coordinator, Dial Corp. (4/89-2/95)

· Significantly reduced the thermal process requirements for products via thermal death time studies

· Directed food microbiology & thermal process research at Dial’s R&D center

· Coordinated & implemented HACCP programs at Dial’s manufacturing facilities & co-packers

· Handled microbiological, sanitation and GMP issues at Dial processing & co-packing facilities

NFPA (1981 - 1990)

Project Microbiologist, National Food Processors Association (7/81-4/89)

· Oversaw the examination of roughly 5,000 consumer claims a year and evaluated their legitimacy

· Diagnosed spoilage mechanism in all categories of shelf-stable products

· Validated efficacy of aseptic processing systems, conducted sanitation audits of member facilities ensuring GMP compliance

· Researched spore-forming bacteria, pathogens and heat-resistant bacteria & molds, with an emphasis on Salmonella, Listeria, C. botulinum & C. sporogenes