Kentucky pork producer Sarah Hawkins felt a little out of her element. Surrounded by Registered Dietitians and healthcare professionals, the question, “Do you see clients or patients?” threw her off for a second. But she quickly responded, “No, but I do feed pigs.” And with that, the ice was broken, and the door was opened for an incredible conversation.
“To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo,” Hawkins says. “I’m a country girl and really doubted what I could bring to the conversation.”
She soon realized she could bring much more to the conversation than she expected.
Hawkins joined National Pork Board’s director nutrition health and wellness initiatives, Emily Krause, for the country’s largest conference for registered dietitians and nutrition professionals. This event drew 8,000 attendees to Nashville, Tenn., for a three-day deep dive into all things nutrition science, food innovation and health.
“People asked a lot of questions,” Hawkins says. “I think the education, or lack thereof, to the common consumer on the preparation of pork was a big one. As a society, we’ve overcooked it for years. As a producer and as an organization, education to consumers is the greatest gift we can give them to introduce or reintroduce them to pork.”
National Pork Board’s booth focused on pork nutrition and flavor and how well pork pairs with plants.
“We had our nutrition team and nutrition experts staffing our booth, along with pork producers from Tennessee and Kentucky,” Krause says. “That helped us close the gap between farm to fork and create a transparent opportunity for dietitians to ask questions to create a personal connection.”
Pork Perceptions
One of Krause’s key takeaways from the event is that perceptions of pork are changing.
“I have seen a huge leap in the number of people coming up to us and patting themselves on the back because they’ve started talking about pork more,” Krause says. “It reinforces the impact we’re having with this audience.”
For example, she met with many dietitians who don’t personally eat pork for religious or cultural reasons who now feel more confident in recommending pork to their patients and clients.
“That’s a huge credibility win,” Krause says. “It proves the point that even with people who are skeptical because they don’t eat pork, they are realizing how important pork is to many of their audiences.”
One thing that surprised some attendees was how lean pork tenderloin is, as well as many fresh pork cuts, Hawkins says.
“That’s music to my ears as a producer – that we can hang with the other proteins,” she adds. “There’s so much more to pork. I’m grateful that Emily and folks like her are getting the message out there that pork is sustainable, nutritious, and has a lot to bring to the table as a protein.”
In addition to handouts showing the eight lean cuts of pork, Krause also pointed people to an on-demand webinar with NPB’s Director of Domestic Market Development Neal Hull.
“He actually goes through different cuts that you can purchase at the store and talks about what parts of the hog they come from,” Krause explains. “I think that’s impactful for dietitians because they might know a pork tenderloin or a chop is a lean cut, but what does that look like when you’re actually going to the store? When they understand that, they can better share that with their patients and clients.”
GLP-1s and Sports Performance
One of the things pork has going for it right now is the big conversation around protein.
“Protein is the No. 1 thing you think of when it comes to sports performance,” Krause says. “I’m having conversations with our states as many of them are working with high school and college athletes. We created resources for them to showcase how pork fits into an athlete’s diet. We want to take advantage of the good noise around protein in today’s landscape.”
Krause admits there’s a lot of uncertainty in general around topics like GLP-1s.
“We have a new resource from Pork and Partners, our healthcare professional community, where we’re able to address protein and GLP-1s,” Krause says.
She adds that pork’s vitamins and minerals are an important part of the story and educational effort, too.
“It’s a huge win for us to be able to suggest meals or snacks that people can take with them to help them get pork into their diet to benefit their health or performance as an athlete,” Krause says.
Now Taste What Pork Can Do
During the event, NPB held a culinary tasting for over 75 attendees in partnership with the International Fresh Produce Association to spotlight pork and plant pairings.
“We had a chef and dietitian who presented for us and explored cultural flavors. Attendees were able to do blind tasting of four different recipes, each with a different pork cut,” Krause says. “From southern style to Thai-inspired dishes, attendees were able to see how well pork as an ingredient is with so many different fruits and vegetables.”
She says it was also helpful to showcase the history and cultural context of each dish, which she believes is special to pork.
“We know that pork is one of the most popular proteins around the world, and I think that is a strong message for us to share,” Krause says. “We see plant pairings in a lot of those dishes – it’s not just pork. This all tied in well with the nutrition research proving that when pork is on the plate, people consume more fruits and vegetables.”
Health nutrition is everywhere you look. That’s why Krause is working hard to bring pork into more of those conversations.
“People just don’t think of pork right away in this space – they think of our friends and other commodities more often,” she says. “But pork has such a strong story to tell from nutrition to affordability to versatility.”
