Adding Ground Pork Offerings Can Boost Retailers’ Sales By Up to $80 Million

Barbeque season is in full swing, and most people think of burgers and hot dogs when they think about grilling out, but let’s not forget about the wonderful flavors pork can bring to a backyard cookout.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation continues to share how U.S. pork is finding its way into global markets, which is great for American pig farmers’ bottom lines but U.S. consumers can help fill producers’ profit coffers by throwing some chops or ground pork burgers on the grill or by putting a nice butt on the smoker.

The National Pork Board (NPB), always on the mission to promote wider use of pork in Americans’ diets, launched its “Taste What Pork Can Do” campaign last May, and momentum appears to be growing. 

According to NPB, offering more ground pork to consumers has the potential to pad retailers’ profitability by $80 million in new sales. 

On average, there are 23 ground beef items per store, while ground pork currently averages just two items. Data from a study contracted by NPB showed $80 million in new sales can be generated by merely expanding ground pork offerings by two or four items per store.

NPB added just two more items, like 90-to-10 lean-fat ratio ground pork, can bring in $50 million for retailers, and adding forms like patties or meatballs can capture the remaining $30 million.

Ideally, some of these extra retailer dollars will find their way into producers’ pockets.

Although ground beef may, by default, find its way into mainstay dishes such as hotdishes, tacos and spaghetti sauces, ground pork doesn’t have to be seen as a suitable substitute but rather a full-time replacement. 

Don’t be afraid to expand flavor profiles.

Over the years, the pork industry has worked at catering to the variety of ethnic markets which are fans of pork products. 

Industry trends have also shown pork consumption is a generational thing. NPB has found Generation Z and millennials are leading the way by purchasing ground pork more often and spending more compared to other generational groups.

Let’s follow the kids’ lead and get on – and stay on – the pork bandwagon.

Though “Taste What Pork Can Do” is the current campaign, much of the population remains locked into the “Pork. The Other White Meat” campaign which was introduced in 1985 and retired in 2005.

Just as NPB has moved on from “Pork. The Other White Meat” campaign, U.S. consumers need to move on from traditional thinking and not be afraid to expand their culinary horizons by adding pork in some form. Your taste buds will thank you.

Kevin Schulz is the editor of The Farmer. This article was originally published in The Farmer on June 8.