The National Pork Board (NPB) recently formed six producer-led advisory committees tied to its strategic plan. The Innovation and Pork Quality Advisory Committee focuses on improving whole-carcass value and a differentiated position. The input from producers and allied industry members will help build long-term sustainable demand for pork.
“Convening leadership across the pork industry will guide this advisory committee’s work and keep innovation grounded in consumer needs, but actionable among key stakeholders,” said Kiersten Hafer, vice president of business intelligence and innovation at the National Pork Board. “By pairing research with real-world applications, we can help the supply chain create easy, convenient, portable and culturally relevant pork products that younger consumers will choose and enjoy pork more often.”
Committee members include:
- Emily Arkfeld, Chair, NPB Board of Directors, Triumph Foods, Missouri
- Nick Berry, Swine Genetics International, Iowa
- Jennifer Blake, Oregon Pork Producers Association, Oregon
- Peter Brummer, Brummer Farm, Pennsylvania
- Chad Carr, University of Florida, Florida
- Anna Dilger, University of Illinois, Illinois
- Brandon Fields, PIC, Kentucky
- Laura Flemming, Smithfield Foods, Virginia
- Jeff Hansen, Elanco Animal Health, Iowa
- Collette Kaster, American Meat Science Association, Missouri
- Dustin Kendall, Prestage Farms Inc., North Carolina
- Chad Leman, Leman Farms Inc., Illinois
- Connor Livingston, Livingston Enterprises Inc., Nebraska
- Jim Magolski, Perdue Foods, Wisconsin
- Tommie Smothers, Walt Disney World Co., Florida
- Nathan Tentinger, Tentinger Farms, Iowa
- Jennifer Tirey, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois
- Scott Trapp, Wholestone Prestage, Nebraska
- Steve Weiss, NutriQuest, Iowa
- Michael Yeater, The Protein Group, LLC, Texas
The committee elevates meat science expertise and consumer behavior data to advise how to meet consumers’ meal and snack expectations. It will combine expertise and supply chain input to build a shared understanding of how production and processing decisions can improve pork quality and support innovation.
The advisory committee established that the consumer eating experience is critical to pork’s future success. They will review pork’s current state and available tools for assessing raw product quality, so NPB staff and board members can establish learning plans and allocate Pork Checkoff funds responsibly. Favorable eating experiences increase household purchases, making pork more prominent in the hearts and carts of Americans.
Last month’s checkoff-funded Innovation Summit outlined a practical blueprint for scalable success to supply chain leaders and producers. Third-party experts and NPB discussed fabricating and marketing new muscle cuts like coppa, presa, Boston butt burgers, coming from the shoulder, and pluma and katsu from the loin.
NPB is uniquely positioned to convene industry leaders. This new committee will identify how science meets consumer preferences and informs conversations that empower key stakeholders. Together, this geographically diverse advisory committee will help NPB identify how to strategically become more relevant with younger consumers and win with pork.
