SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRPT) today announced the appointment of Leta “DeDe” Priest as an independent director on its Board of Directors, effective September 27, 2018.

Charlie Norris, Chairman of the Freshpet Board of Directors, commented, “We are excited to welcome DeDe to our Board of Directors with her tremendous depth of experience in retail, fresh food and consumer packaged goods. DeDe’s proven leadership in food with the world’s largest retailer and her passion for dogs will provide a distinct and valuable perspective to our Board of Directors as we execute on our Feed the Growth strategy. We look forward to her future contributions.”

Ms. Priest has over 30 years of executive and senior leadership experience in the retail and consumer packaged goods industries. She was a key leader in food for Walmart from May 2003 to November 2015 during Walmart’s expansion of grocery, including having served as Senior Vice President and General Merchandising Manager, Fresh Food from 2009 to 2015. Ms. Priest also served as Senior Vice President, General Merchandising Manager in other key areas of food for Walmart from January 2007 through 2015. She began her career with Walmart as Vice President of Food Development. During her tenure at Walmart, Ms. Priest was responsible for leading merchandising activities for multi-billion dollar businesses, improving customer experience in food and achieving growth in key product categories. She joined Walmart from Safeway where she served as Vice President Corporate Brands, North America from January 1998 to April 2003. Prior to her time at Safeway, Ms. Priest had 11 years of consumer products experience in senior leadership roles across brand management and product development with The Torbitt & Castleman Company and Dole Food Company. Since April 2018, Ms. Priest has served as a director on the board of Milo’s Tea Company. In 2017, she completed seven years of service as a director on the Board of Feeding America and she currently serves as a director on the board for the National Council on Aging.

About Freshpet

Freshpet’s mission is to improve the lives of dogs and cats through the power of fresh, real food. Freshpet foods are blends of fresh meats, vegetables and fruits farmed locally and made at our Kitchens in Bethlehem, PA. We thoughtfully prepare our foods using natural ingredients, cooking them in small batches at lower temperatures to preserve the natural goodness of the ingredients. Freshpet foods and treats are kept refrigerated from the moment they are made until they arrive at Freshpet Fridges in your local market.

Our foods are available in select mass, grocery (including online), natural food, club, and pet specialty retailers across the United States, Canada and Europe. From the care we take to source our ingredients and make our food, to the moment it reaches your home, our integrity, transparency and social responsibility are the way we like to run our business.