Wixon taps Sara Sarnstrom as director of regulatory affairs
She will lead compliance across vendor management, quality assurance, and more.
Sara Sarnstrom
Flavor solutions company Wixon has announced Sara Sarnstrom joined the company as director of regulatory affairs, reporting to Peter Gottsacker, Wixon president. Sarnstrom will lead compliance efforts across vendor management, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs to ensure alignment with domestic and global regulatory requirements while supporting operational scalability and business continuity. She brings more than a decade of food industry experience in food safety, regulatory compliance, and risk management to her new position.
“We’re pleased to welcome Sara to Wixon,” says Gottsacker. “Her extensive credentials are a valuable addition to our regulatory team and an asset for our customers.”
Sarnstrom holds a master’s degree in food safety from Michigan State University and maintains the following professional certifications: Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) and International Food Law.
As director of regulatory affairs, Sarnstrom will focus on advancing systems-based compliance models that integrate regulatory, supplier, and quality data to enable robust, risk‑based decision making, the company says. This future-focused approach aims to emphasize data harmonization, cross‑functional visibility, and proactive risk identification to enhance regulatory readiness, strengthen preventive control programs, and support informed, defensible compliance decisions in today’s dynamic regulatory landscape.
“Sara’s appointment is part of our long-term strategic plan to ensure continuity in this critical area of our business,” says Gottsacker. “We are currently in a transition phase where she is working collaboratively with her predecessor, VP of QA and regulatory, Tim Sonntag, ahead of his planned retirement in the third quarter. This approach allows us to continue delivering the high level of service and expertise our customers rely on.”
Sonntag is set to retire in August after 40 years with Wixon. “We are grateful for the lasting impact he has made on our business and his exceptional service to our customers over the years,” says Gottsacker. “We wish him all the best in his retirement.”
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