A Step Forward for the Pork Industry

What does it look like to walk 413 million steps or 7.5 times around the Earth? That’s the mind-blowing number of steps participants took during the first Fresh Start Wellness Challenge hosted by the National Pork Board. 

Part of increasing domestic pork demand centers around connecting with consumers in new ways. As health and wellness become more important to consumers, the pork industry is focused on bringing pork to life in an approachable and fun way. Earlier this year, the Fresh Start Wellness Challenge drew in 2,100 people to be a part of this health challenge where participants tracked their daily steps and engaged in discussions around pork as a healthy part of the diet. 

“We were blown away as we watched people sign up and saw how many people were joining the challenge,” says Kara Behlke, director of nutrition and dietetics at the National Pork Board. “The fact that we walked a total of 185,000 miles – that's 7.5 times around the earth – was just a great accomplishment.”

The wins from the first challenge are evident. People shared stories of how the challenge helped transform their life, or at least started them down a path to create better habits. But there’s still a lot of work to be done, Behlke says. 

“When it comes to health and wellness, we may know the importance of pork in a healthy diet,” she says. “But do consumers?”

A big reason for this challenge was to show up different and become part of a new conversation as consumers evolve their definition of what's good for them and transition into this space of holistic health and well-being. 

“We want to be part of that conversation, and in order to do that, we definitely have to show up different and stretch ourselves to think in new ways,” Behlke says.

As pork evolves its role as a protein, so does the need for engaging with consumers. Behlke says knowing and understanding consumer needs as well as buying behaviors is key to creating more meaningful relationships. Consumers are inundated with information, she adds. It’s time to transition from lecturing on why and instead showing them how pork is the perfect part of a balanced, nutritious meal and active lifestyle.

“We want pork to be part of these conversations, we want to help reduce those negative perceptions that people have about pork as part of a healthy diet. As we begin to do that, and show up in different ways, it will start to eliminate those barriers to purchase so we can gain some momentum around health and pork as part of a healthy diet,” she says.

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