In an environment where shoppers continually question what brands and products they can trust, where increasingly diverse consumers seek to connect with the familiar flavors of their heritage and where home cooks are weary from both meal preparation and the inability to travel to other cities, states and countries to experience authentic flavors, the National Pork Board is launching Real Pork, a new master-brand strategy to help consumers navigate the changing food world.

“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 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.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, retail sales of pork have surged as consumers are cooking at home more, purchasing different products than they normally do and experimenting with new recipes. Real Pork, supported by extensive consumer research, aims to not only sustain the growth from pandemic purchasing but extend it long term by highlighting pork’s advantages.

Those advantages begin in the barn, so telling the authentic stories of pig farmers and pig farms – and how pork’s sustainability creates a protein consumers can feel good about feeding their family – will be a critical part of how Real Pork comes to life, the board explained.

The first introduction of Real Pork to consumers comes this September and focuses on “Pork as a Passport,” which celebrates pork’s position as a culturally relevant protein around the world, the board said. It encourages small adventures for cooks during quarantine by showcasing delicious pork dishes from next door and across the globe.

According to the board, Pork as a Passport will help consumers travel through their taste buds via inspiration that will be found in digital, social media, video and a new landing page at www.pork.org/realpork. A few examples of planned activities include:

As activities come to life, they will be posted on the new landing page at www.pork.org/realpork and on the National Pork Board's social media accounts.