The National Pork Board is revitalizing its marketing plan. Currently, most domestic marketing of the pork carcass is further processed.
Cured hams and bellies as well as shoulders used for sausages dominate the breakfast market. Domestically, pork demand has been carried by the breakfast market and the holiday ham.
Most fresh pork consumption is from the loin and has primarily been consumed by the baby boomer generation. Less pork is consumed by those in Gen X. Data suggests that fresh pork, specifically pork loin, is not even relevant with millennial and Gen Z consumers anymore. Younger consumers, especially those of multicultural heritage, don’t prepare pork, although their parents and grandparents have an affinity for pork. Collectively the inability to merchandise pork loin domestically has resulted in it being a loss leader for carcass component value.
A Square Peg
That all ties into what I am trained to do as a scientist and how our industry has addressed loin merchandising. We have consistently tried to drive a square peg into a round hole with a one-size-fits-all ideology that says: “This is pork loin. Industry and academics have done a good job of improving its quality over the past 20 years. It will be tender and hold on to water well and, if you don’t overcook it, it will be good.”
We must have a paradigm shift that is focused on making pork loin relevant to young, domestic, multicultural consumers.
How Do We Get There?
- Establish a sizable database of pork loin samples with variation on the traits we know associated with eating quality (pH, color, texture, marbling, etc.).
- Be intentional about collecting extensive consumer sensory data for preference from young, multicultural consumers.
Collect rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) data to improve pork loin demand.
REIMS uses an electronic knife to burn the edge of tissue, and the resultant smoke is then evaluated by an electronic nose for flavor volatiles to establish a metabolomic fingerprint. This data is then interpreted to make inference as to quality traits. REIMS technology was developed for use in human medicine but has been used in food analysis for more than a decade, though little has been published with pork.
I believe this collectively should be merged with social science data as it associates with food preparation behaviors, because most young people use pork loin as an ingredient in a dish rather than grilling a pork chop as previous generations did.
Ultimately, I envision processors being able to hypothetically maximize demand by sorting loins with traits X and Y to Houston and Miami, and those with these traits W and Z to stay in Des Moines or Kansas City. This, in combination with a revitalized marketing plan, creates a pathway for all consumers to enjoy pork loin and to maximize carcass value.
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