H12 2019 MEAT HANDBOOK WINSIGHT GROCERY BUSINESS
Demystifying Pork at the
2018 Pork Summit
It may come as a surprise to some that I, a self-proclaimed bacon
enthusiast, have never been much of a pork fan. While I find bacon
to be undoubtedly delicious in all its applications, the thought of
pork in any other form has always spurred flashbacks to childhood
dinners, when I’d smother my mother’s pork chops in applesauce
to mask their paper dust texture and utter lack of flavor.
I believed that pork was inherently dry and tasteless—that
is, until I attended the National Pork Board’s (NPB’s) 2018 Pork
Summit, where I ate (and thoroughly enjoyed) more pork in three
days than I have in my lifetime. As it turns out, pork is in fact a juicy,
tender and flavorful product—not to mention a healthy alternative
to chicken and beef—but is often overcooked due to a lingering
stigma about the quality and safety of pink meat.
Certainly, I am not the only millennial with an unsatisfying pork-eating experience. As the cooking-temperature stigma continues
to fade, retailers have an opportunity to draw weary shoppers
back to pork with new, innovative products such as globally
inspired meal kits. Chefs at the Pork Summit curated dishes,
including a pork milanesa breakfast torta, that can easily translate
to retail in convenient hot bar and meal kit applications.
With that, the NPB revealed at the Pork Summit its initiative
to bring pork rotisserie to retail as an alternative to chicken,
emphasizing opportunity in fresh pork loin due to the surplus
in supply. Shoppers who buy rotisserie chicken generally have
larger basket sizes, and offering a pork rotisserie can yield the
same results, providing an inexpensive product that can be used
in various applications, including meal kits with dishes such as a
carnitas-style quinoa bowl.
As shoppers become more comfortable with fresh pork
purchases via prepared products and meal kits, the NPB is also
working to unite the pork industry on a common nomenclature
for fresh pork products to reduce consumer confusion. “There’s
not a lot of consistency across the country at the retail meat case
when it comes to chop cuts and names,” says Sutton. “We want to
mirror some of the cuts and names our beef colleagues have long
marketed, and consumers are familiar with—like the porterhouse
and the ribeye—to provide a better and more consistent
experience at the meat counter.”
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profiles, easy entry cooking products and inspirational
recipes can give consumers confidence and regain their
confidence in pork,” she says.
Tender cuts such as pork shoulder, pork loin and pork
belly, coupled with Hispanic- and Asian-inspired seasonings or recipes, appeal to consumer demand for affordable,
flavorful and ethnic meal solutions. “Pork is relevant in cultural dishes, dominant in ethnic cuisine and plays very well
in this type of role,” says Kent Harrison, VP of marketing
and premium programs for Tyson Fresh Meats, based in
Dakota Dunes, S.D. “It can bring flavor from all around the
world to the center of the family dinner table.”
An End to the Stigma
With a mission to increase consumption of pork in the
U.S., the NPB examines consumer behaviors to better
understand barriers to purchase and ultimately use those
insights to drive innovation at the meat counter. The
organization held its annual Pork Summit in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in late July, which rounded up dozens of chefs,
pork producers and industry experts to share and absorb
information on butchering, cooking techniques, health
attributes and unique recipes.
On the final day, attendees teamed up for a market basket exhibition, testing the techniques learned throughout
the event to create five pork dishes, including a globally
inspired entree that could be used in a meal kit and a dish
for the hot bar at retail. With meal kits and prepared foods
driving growth in other categories of the store, retailers
have an opportunity to boost pork sales by repositioning
pork for a consumer mindset.
However, their efforts should not end there. In addition
to providing innovative products and meal solutions, retailers must offer educational resources—like those presented
at the Pork Summit—to help consumers understand the
quality and, in particular, the recommended temperature
for fresh cooked pork. “Pork has a stigma from decades
ago, especially related to proper cooking temperatures,”
We have been conscious
of particular cuts, such as
pork butt and chops, and
grown market share—an area
[where] we previously had a
large opportunity gap.”
—Tammy Woodbury, Hannaford Supermarkets
A pork milanesa
breakfast torta
wowed attendees
of the Pork Summit.
PORK