WALNUT CREEK, CALIF. — Brian Pitzele has been named vice-president of food service for Del Monte Foods, Inc.

Mr. Pitzele joins Del Monte from Smithfield Foods, Inc., where he was director of food service for Farmer John Foods. Before that, he spent more than 30 years at Hormel Foods Corp., where he held various positions in sales, marketing and management.

“Brian’s deep knowledge and experience within the food service industry will bring a fresh perspective to Del Monte as we continue to focus on this important part of our business,” said Greg Longstreet, chief executive officer of Del Monte Foods. “We welcome Brian and know he will be a great asset to our company.”

In his new role, Mr. Pitzele will report to Mr. Longstreet and maintain responsibility for overseeing Del Monte’s food service business.

“I am excited to join a company with a great legacy and a range of strong brands,” Mr. Pitzele said. “I believe there’s a great opportunity to leverage our strong heritage through innovation, delivering high-quality healthy food options, expanding our presence in new areas — particularly grab-and-go — and forging value-added partnerships with both distributors and operators.”