The US pork industry faces declining consumer interest, with swine genetics firm Genesus warning that prioritising leaner pork has reduced flavour and stalled consumption. Genesus calls for quality improvements to avoid an industry decline, while the National Pork Board promotes studies on pork’s flavour potential and cooking methods to boost appeal.
Last year, Pig Progress reported Genesus President Jim Long’s assessment that breeding ever-leaner pork has been a big mistake. He stated that “many [pig farmers] know the pork they produce, they do not want to eat…many restaurants do not have loin on the menu. Why?… We all know the problem. We are producing loins that taste like crap.”
Looking at hard numbers, he pointed out that from 1960 to 2023, whilst annual average chicken consumption per person in the US increased from 28 lbs (12.7 kg) to over 100 lbs (45 kg), pork dropped from 59 lbs (26.8kg) to about 54 lbs (24.5 kg).
Sounding the alarm
Now Genesus is again just sounding the alarm. Director of marketing Spencer Long noted that “we remain stagnant, spinning our wheels, wondering why more people won’t buy the industry’s overall abysmal-tasting pork product. Every single survey shows that taste is the number one factor in consumers’ buying decisions. We know this yet, as an industry, we put our head in the sand and act like it doesn’t matter, or the best line “consumers won’t pay for it,” which is a lie.”
He adds however, that “we have a great opportunity in this industry to change for the better and ensure the next generation of producers has a viable chance rather than a death spiral.”
Exporting the best
At the same time, Long also noted that the highest-quality US pork loins and other pork products are being exported to Japan. “US consumers aren’t even given an opportunity to try the pork that will meet the Japanese criteria on colour and taste,” he said, “and instead are given the junk you all see so often at every supermarket and big-box-store across America.”
World of flavours
At the same time, the National Pork Board (NPB) is insisting to the public that there’s “a world of flavour” in pork. The organisation has funded a study that found many “nuances” in both pork meat and offal. The study also found that that “many cuts/samples have flavour nuances that resembles beef.”
In addition, NPB stressed that “because of the unique flavours of lean pork compared to pork fat, researchers believe it is time to dispel the myth that lean cuts of pork are “flavourless.”
NPB quoted a research chef called Rachel Gooding who says “lean cuts of pork can be used in a variety of typically bland dishes to impart a wide array of flavours along with increasing the nutrient-density of meals in a flavourful way.”
The study also looked at cooking methods that impart more flavour. Gooding says “air frying pork was found to lead to “juicy” and “sweet” flavour notes, which makes air-fried lean pork cuts such as tenderloin or sirloin pork chops a perfect pairing for bitter vegetables or legumes.”