PIC has reached a significant milestone. The PIC Pork Quality Compass program now includes 50 processing plants worldwide.
“This achievement underscores PIC’s unwavering commitment to driving excellence in pork quality through objective, data-driven benchmarking,” the company said in a release.
The program has been a pioneering solution in addressing the pork industry’s need for consistent, non-biased data regarding pork quality performance since 2020, the company noted. The company is focused on achieving higher standards of pork quality by delivering insights into critical factors such as animal handling, transportation and carcass chilling that can impact quality at the plant level.
“Our expansion to 50 plants is a testament to PIC’s commitment to improving pork quality worldwide,” Brandon Fields, applied meat science director at PIC, said in a release. “We are deeply invested in ensuring that our customers have the tools and data they need to consistently produce superior pork that meets the highest market standards. The Compass Program helps plants identify areas for improvement, ultimately elevating the entire pork supply chain.”
The program now spans 11 countries across four key geographic regions:
• North America (USA and Canada): 19 plants
• Latin America (incl. Mexico): 18 plants
• Europe: 12 plants
• Other regions: 1 plant
The program provides a standardized method to assess five key pork quality attributes, including post-mortem chilling rates, pH levels, color, firmness and texture.
“These factors are critical for both consumer satisfaction and meat processing, allowing participating plants to measure and identify actionable steps to produce high-quality pork,” PIC said.
One South America participant said the program allows them to set pork quality standards to strive to achieve and exceed.
“The PIC Compass program is an industry-changing benchmark, which has allowed us to identify areas of opportunity to improve slaughter, cooling and many other strategies within our operation,” the South America participant explained.
Meanwhile, in Latin America, the program has helped one participant better evaluate the quality of their products. The participant noted the measurements are made with great professionalism and precision which offers reliable information for an objective evaluation.
“We appreciate being part of the PIC Compass program. This is a unique opportunity to receive third-party feedback on where our meat quality stands compared to the competition,” one North America participant added. “We have consistently received positive feedback from our customers and are continually conducting internal evaluations and improvements. However, the ability to benchmark our quality against global standards using objective parameters is invaluable as the professionalism of PIC team.”
PIC ensures all plant-specific data is treated with strict confidentiality. Reports are anonymized so that each plant can only view its own results, fostering a secure environment for improvement and competitiveness, PIC explained. This helps companies make data-driven decisions that enhance their processes and meet evolving market demands and consumer preferences.
“PIC has always prioritized pork quality as a core pillar of its mission, continually investing in research, genetic innovations and global programs like the Compass Program to provide independent references for quality improvement,” the company noted. “The program not only supports competitive benchmarking but also delivers actionable insights for plants looking to refine their operational practices and meet the highest standards of pork production.”
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