John L. Stanton, PhD, longtime professor of food marketing at Saint Joseph’s University, passed away earlier this month after a prolonged illness.
Stanton joined Saint Joseph’s University in 1984 as the inaugural McNutt Endowed Chair in Food Marketing. He held the position of professor of food marketing and served multiple terms as department chair and directed a research center focused on food and health.
In addition to his academic career, Stanton held various positions in the food industry. He served as vice president of marketing for Melitta coffee company and as director of research at Weightman advertising. He also worked in Germany with Erivan Haub of Tengelmann, after whom the Erivan K. Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University is named.
Stanton also consulted for a range of leading food brands and commodities, including Campbell’s, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Kellogg and the Florida Department of Citrus, among others. He served on the boards of Herr’s Frankford Candy, Premio Foods, The Philadelphia Cheesesteak Company, among others. He was an expert witness for many food and beverage companies as well.
At the university, he pioneered graduate-level courses in private label sales and marketing strategy and helped launch the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) Executive Program at SJU in the early 2000s, among the first of its kind at a major university.
He was instrumental in launching the university’s first international study tours, the master’s in food marketing program, and the international exchange program with University College Cork.
During his career, he published more than 150 articles in academic and trade journals and more than 15 books.
Stanton was a Fullbright Scholar, a member of the Halls of Fame of the European Retail Institute and the PLMA, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Promotion Optimization Institute. Additionally, he received a variety of honorary degrees for his contributions to global food marketing.
Stanton is survived by his wife Carol and children Bridget and Robert.
Gifts in Stanton’s honor may be made to the John L. Stanton. PhD, Scholarship Fund to support future food marketing students, a link of which is on the SJU website at sju.edu/news/memoriam-john-l-stanton-phd-1945-2025 (or, call or email SJU at 610.660.1236 or [email protected]).
