John L. Stanton Jr., world-renowned professor of food marketing at St. Joseph’s and Temple Universities and a groundbreaking food researcher, died on August 4 at 80, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Stanton, a global authority on food marketing and celebrated researcher, writer, and business leader, established food and health research centers at both universities where he taught. At St. Joseph’s, he introduced a new master’s program in food marketing, along with international study tours and a student exchange program with University College Cork in Ireland.

He was also a prolific author, writing or co-writing almost two dozen books on food marketing, consumer behavior, and product development. In 1991, his book, Making Niche Marketing Work: How to Grow Bigger by Acting Smaller, was featured in the book club of the old BusinessWeek magazine.

For 16 years, he wrote a monthly column for Food Processing magazine called Market View, and authored over 150 articles and scholarly papers.

He told his wife, Carol, that he was most proud of having his 1984 research paper published in the journal Science.

“He devoted more than 50 years to transforming how food is marketed and consumed,” said Ron Margulis, owner of RAM Communications.

Read more about Dr. John L. Stanton Jr.’s profound influence on the field of food marketing and the legacy he leaves behind at St. Joseph’s and Temple Universities in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on MONTCO.Today in August 2025.