DES MOINES – Through a new master-brand strategy called Real Pork, the National Pork Board is celebrating the authenticity, flavor and ability to bring people together that pork provides.  

The new strategy comes in a time in which consumers are increasingly questioning which brands and products they can trust and searching out information about the products they consume, according to the board.  

Since coronavirus hit the scene, pork sales have surged over the last several months. The new initiative aims to sustain that growth beyond the pandemic by highlighting pork’s advantages. 

“Real Pork not only celebrates the authentic flavors of pork, it encompasses the values and beliefs of the pork industry from farm to fork,” said Angie Krieger, vice president of domestic marketing at the Pork Board. “Our work began on this master-brand strategy before the coronavirus appeared in the United States, but the shift in buying and cooking habits the pandemic created certainly accelerated our efforts. Six months in, consumers are weary of meal preparation, they want new experiences and to travel.” 

Transparency is an important factor to many consumers, so Real Pork starts off telling authentic stories about the pig farmers and pig farms producing the pork going on their family’s dinner table.  

Real Pork makes its first big entrance in September with Pork as a Passport, which celebrates pork’s position as a culturally relevant protein around the world and showcases pork dishes from cuisines across the globe. 

A few planned Pork as a Passport activities include: 

  • Matching pig farmers with global chefs to connect over pork product 

  • Highlighting globally-inspired pork recipes with modern photography 

  • Engaging a family psychologist to provide insight about the importance of family meals 

  • Sharing information on global recipes and flavors using pork through social media influencers 

  • Connecting US chefs with international chefs to cook and together, create rich sharable videos for online and social media 

  • Highlighting pork in the most authentic, real and delicious way possible, through street food in a multicultural effort called Menu Urbano 

Updates on the activities will be posted on a new landing page, www.pork.org/realpork, and on the National Pork Board's social media accounts.