Hormel Foods Corp., a Fortune 500 global branded food company, announces that Richard Carlson, vice president of global food safety and quality management, will be retiring after a 35-year career with the company.

Jeremiah Johnson, a 20-year company veteran and director of food safety management, will succeed Carlson as vice president of global food safety and quality management.

"Richard has provided dedicated leadership in food safety and quality throughout his tenure. He led our company through critical food safety initiatives, including the expansion into new product categories and implementing new and enhanced food safety protocols," said Jeff Ettinger, interim chief executive officer for Hormel Foods. "We are grateful for his commitment to strengthening our food safety systems. He has made a meaningful impact on Hormel Foods and the teams he has led, and we wish him the best in retirement."

As vice president of global food safety and quality management, Johnson will assume responsibility for overseeing all company quality, plant regulatory and food safety activities.

"Jeremiah brings deep expertise in food safety, quality and regulatory affairs, along with strong operational knowledge, making him well-prepared to lead this critical function," said John Ghingo, president for Hormel Foods. "He has led key initiatives to strengthen our food safety systems and safeguard the trust consumers place in our brands. Jeremiah's proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, elevate standards and drive continuous improvement make him the right leader for this important role."

This transition will be effective May 1, 2026.

Richard Carlson

In 1990, Carlson began his career with Hormel Foods as a quality and process control engineer at the Austin (Minnesota) Plant. He held quality assurance and production management positions at the company's former Stockton, Calif., and Owatonna, Minn., facilities, as well as at the Jennie-O (Willmar, Minn.) plant. In 2000, Carlson was named director of quality assurance at Jennie-O, then assumed the position of vice president of quality management at Jennie-O in 2010. He moved to the corporate office in Austin, Minn., and became vice president of quality management at Hormel Foods in 2014.

Carlson graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in food science.

Jeremiah Johnson

Johnson joined Hormel Foods in 2005 as a quality and process control supervisor at the Austin, Minn., plant. He advanced through quality and process control manager roles at the Algona, Iowa, plant and the company's former Vernon, Calif., facility, as well as worked as a staff engineer for the corporate quality team. In 2015, Johnson was named corporate manager for regulatory, compliance and HACCP. He expanded his responsibilities in 2017 to oversee the sanitation process in Hormel's production facilities. Johnson was named assistant director of food safety management in 2023 and assumed his current position in 2025.

Johnson graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, and is an active member and past chair of the Meat Institute Food Safety and Inspection Affairs Committee.

Source: Hormel Foods Corp.