There is some very interesting/thought provoking research out of University of Illinois on if pork quality will ever matter. No matter how it’s looked at - color, pH, marbling - the gist is consumers won’t pay. Even most the pork “prime” programs have been a flop. The only variable that moved the needle on consumer acceptance: cooking it to 145. I think pork’s CAB moment will have to come outside of the quality space. National Pork Board has tried multiple times to get momentum behind a quality grading program and every time it’s gone nowhere. Ultimately, if a consumer is being told to pay more for a “premium” product that doesn’t taste significantly better than the lower quality (cheaper) alternative...it’s tough to build anything that sustains.
There is some very interesting/thought provoking research out of University of Illinois on if pork quality will ever matter. No matter how it’s looked at - color, pH, marbling - the gist is consumers won’t pay. Even most the pork “prime” programs have been a flop. The only variable that moved the needle on consumer acceptance: cooking it to 145. I think pork’s CAB moment will have to come outside of the quality space. National Pork Board has tried multiple times to get momentum behind a quality grading program and every time it’s gone nowhere. Ultimately, if a consumer is being told to pay more for a “premium” product that doesn’t taste significantly better than the lower quality (cheaper) alternative...it’s tough to build anything that sustains.