Prairie Fresh’s USA Prime pork products meet the demand for premium product perfectly, said Monica Camarin, the company’s senior brand manager.

Also driving that demand, she added, is the fact that 75% of meat eaters are eating out less often and trying to recreate restaurant-style meals at home, according to the 2024 Power of Meat.

Prairie Fresh USA Prime pork is at the top of all of the company’s pork products, based on three measures: marbling, color and tenderness.

It undergoes a three-criteria evaluation process that uses industry-leading proprietary technology to measure quality attributes and sort top-tier cuts for a higher level of consistency, Camarin said.

Selected for intramuscular fat, tenderness and color, Prairie Fresh USA Prime products include pork loin back ribs, pork tenderloin, bone-in pork shoulder butt, boneless pork loin, spareribs and pork belly.

“The superior quality is possible due to the way we produce pork — the Prairie Fresh Way,” Camarin said. “It’s our perspective on how pork should be produced and is founded on a connected food system where collaboration with our farmer owners, processing plants and networked supply chain colleagues allow us to control the production process from farm to delivery, resulting in better animal health and better pork quality.”

Prairie Fresh also markets premium pork products under its Daily’s Premium Meats brand.

Steak-cut and extra-thick-cut bacon are among the trending Daily’s products. According to recent Circana data, retail units of these cuts are up 44% vs. prior year, while standard cuts of bacon are only up 0.6%.

“Even with the stress of recent inflation, shoppers may see this as a way of indulging at home,” said Ryan Barnett, Prairie Fresh’s market insights manager.

Flavor is the most important thing consumers are looking for in their fresh pork purchases, according to both National Pork Board and Prairie Fresh research.

It was findings like those, Camarin said, that led Prairie Fresh to begin offering USA Prime product in 2023.

“The line stands out in the meat case, where it not only provides products customers crave but also delivering value and differentiation to retailers.”

A higher-quality brand, she added, creates higher margins and allows retailers to provide a better eating experience for their consumers, which can lead to repeat purchases.

One thing that separates all Prairie Fresh pork from its competitors, Camarin said, is that all product is trimmed to specification for better yield and consistency and better consumer appeal.

“There’s a high-quality pork option for every palette, preference or culinary ability.”

Looking ahead to 2025, new value-added and ground products will be introduced to the Prairie Fresh line.

This article is an excerpt from the November 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Premium Cuts feature and more in the digital edition here.