News Releases
>	National Pork Board Continues to Support Swine- and Premises- Identification System
>	Delegates to Discuss Challenges Facing the Pork Industry at Annual Meeting
>	Pork Checkoff Schedules Two Transport Quality Assurance Advisor Training Workshops in 2010
>	View All
Popular Links
>	Quick Facts
>	Daily Market Summary
>	National Daily Direct Hogs - Morning
>	National Daily Direct Hogs - Afternoon
>	Center for Food Integrity
>	Take a Farm Tour

Winter Pork Promotions Surpass Goals

From classic comfort foods to innovative new entrees, several successful, high-profile winter foodservice promotions have showcased the pork’s possibilities to a wide range of consumers.

“Even in a down economy, we’ve found ways to partner with leading foodservice providers and achieve great results with recent pork promotions,” says Howard Greenblatt, national foodservice marketing manager for the Pork Checkoff.

America’s Pork Producers and Smithfield Meats teamed up with ARAMARK, which provides award-winning food services to companies across the country, to feature Smithfield Spiral Sliced Hams. ARAMARK offered patrons in each of their 1,500 business and industry accounts the option to purchase a ham during the 2009 holiday season. In addition, the hams were featured for lunch and dinner at each of ARAMARK’S dining facilities.

“This was an excellent promotion, because ARAMARK exceeded their incremental tonnage goal of more than 100,000 pounds of ham,” Greenblatt says.

Pork also received top billing this winter through Sodexo Senior Services, a national foodservice management company with 500 adult retirement communities and assisted living centers across the United States. The company, which provides foodservice to more than 125,000 people on a daily basis, featured pork-inspired comfort foods during a recent four-week promotion.

New entrees were showcased each week, including corn chowder with bacon; pork loin with fresh apple stuffing; bacon and pear salad; grilled pork chops; pear-stuffed potatoes and pork medallions with peppered apple and onions; and pepper-crusted pork loin with chili sauce. The Pork Checkoff partnered with the Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service to offset the cost of the promotion, Greenblatt says.

“This was a tremendous success, because Sodexo had set an incremental pork tonnage goal of 375,000 pounds, and they exceeded this by 75,000 pounds,” adds Greenblatt, who notes that the Pork Checkoff is working on new pork promotions with Sodexo in 2010.