In challenging times for producers, the Pork Checkoff’s domestic marketing efforts are paying off. In a news conference held during the World Pork Expo, National Pork Board officials reported positive response to its consumer campaigns.
“The current consumer campaign, Pork. Be inspired®, is moving product at the retail meat case and in restaurants,” said Chris Novak, National Pork Board CEO. “In the first quarter of this year, total pounds of pork sold at retail were up 9.9 percent over first quarter last year and total dollars in sales were up 4.7 percent. The average retail price was down due to higher supplies, but the increased volume more than offset the decrease in the average price.”
To further bolster consumer demand, a new summer marketing campaign was launched last week to communicate the current relative value of pork, educate consumers on the new pork cut names and reinforce proper pork cooking by talking about the ideal range of doneness.
“This is a critical time for our farmers and a challenging year for the industry overall,” said Karen Richter, National Pork Board president and a pork producer from Montgomery, Minn. “For consumers, high prices at the gas pump and a tight food budget mean they’re searching for bargains, but they still expect great taste and variety in meals, and that’s good news for pork.”
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