Meeting Shoppers’ Wellness Needs with Lean, Fresh Pork
We’ve all seen the shopper who is hoping a quick glance at the meat counter will be the inspiration they need for a healthy, tasty meal idea for their family. In those moments, retail dietitians can play an important role in helping shoppers select the quality, nutritious food – especially meat – that they’re wanting.
Food Marketing Institute/Hartman Group U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2017 research indicates “food retailers are increasingly well positioned for shopper wellness.” In addition, 75 percent of shoppers indicate high-quality meat is on their mind when selecting a primary store and consider it an important attribute. The National Pork Board can help the retail dietitian in addressing issues most important to shoppers as outlined in the FMI research.
Shoppers desire easy to access information and the retail dietitian can provide relevant information about lean, nutritious pork.
- A roadblock to the consumption of pork is often the misconception of its leanness and role in the healthy diet. “Pork’s Great for You 8,” showcases 8 cuts of pork meet the definition of lean (<10 g total fat, < 4.5 g saturated fat and <95 mg cholesterol): the pork tenderloin, sirloin pork chop, sirloin pork roast, New York pork chop, ground pork-96% lean, New York pork roast, Porterhouse pork chop and ribeye pork chop.
- Work with the meat department to use the Heart-Check certification mark on the pork tenderloin and sirloin pork roast. At a glance, the shopper can recognize lean pork choices that support their heart healthy goals.
- A concern for 25 percent of shoppers is added hormones in their food. Some of the pork products indicate No Hormones Added on their label. That type of absence labeling is not needed because there are no hormones added in any pork product as federal regulation prohibits the use of hormones in pigs.
With 76 percent of shoppers perceiving food eaten at home is healthier, retail dietitians can lead in consumer education to inspire preparing lean pork for a family meal.
- Pork merchandising is available from the National Pork Board with point-of-sale kits for the meat department. The kits include labels with preparation instructions and recipes. Add dietitian endorsement to the lean cuts featured.
- Schedule constraints are the most frequently cited reason for difficulty achieving family meals. Work with the store chef to have dietitian-endorsed meal kits and easy to prepare recipes featuring pork.
- Heart healthy recipes featuring lean pork can be offered through store tours and dietitian-led cooking demos. For additional help with shopper education efforts, videos showcasing lean pork cuts with pork cooking basics and meat counter basics are available.
Shoppers seek transparency from the retailer and help knowing how the food was produced.
- Retail dietitians can support and amplify the stories of farmers by taking advantage of farm tours and agriculture related education. Contact the pork producer organization in your state or the National Pork Board to learn of opportunities to connect with a pig farmer. In addition, pig farmer stories can be found on social media platforms at #realpigfarming.
- Visit the National Pork Board’s website to learn more about the topics of interest to shoppers.
Highlight Pork’s Great for You 8, make pork preparation easy and accessible, and tell the pig farming story to show your store’s commitment to health and wellness through high-quality, lean, nutritious pork.
