Move over, beef! Chicken, take a hike! Here comes pork!
Pork has always been a popular meat - back before the explosion of beef, pork was considered the most popular meat because it was so easy to preserve, thanks to salting or smoking. Poultry is now seen as the most popular meat, but pork is threatening to take that away.
In all seriousness, pork is becoming an increasingly popular meat. This phenomenon is occurring not only across the North American continent, but internationally as well. As the demand for pork increases, U.S. exports increase.
Bacon Mania
What could be the cause behind pork becoming the meat of choice? There are quite a few reasons, and I'm sure you can easily guess the first - bacon. If you haven't heard of the officially coined term "bacon mania", it's the explanation for bacon donuts, ice cream, soda, candy, toothpaste, alcohol, lip balm, mayonnaise, and more. To meet the general population's demand for bacon, restaurants are answering the call. You can easily find bacon incorporated into regular menu items in restaurants everywhere. You can find bacon on your burgers, wrapped around other meats, sandwiched in between bread with other ingredients, and of course, on a breakfast menu. With the economy rebounding from the Great Recession, people are more willing to go out to eat and enjoy these tasty new bacon menu items.
If you're looking to use bacon in some of your own recipes, check out five different takes on the classic BLT.
Efficiency and Influence
Pork is an efficient meat to produce, it's high in protein, and it's a versatile meat - making it an ideal choice for food service. That's another reason pork is seeing increased sales and popularity. Food services need to produce diverse, healthy, and cost effective meals, and pork is a great contender for all of those needs. An increase of pork in food service leads to an increased appetite and demand for pork.
With an increasingly diverse population and a growing influence of Asian and Latino foods, pork proves itself once again to be a truly versatile meat. You can find pork in recipes across many cultures, and with a growing influence of those cultures in the United States alone, it's no surprise that pork is becoming the meat of choice.
Health First
Last but not least, pork is also seen as a healthier alternative to red meats. Red meat can be detrimental to your health if you consume too much of it, increasing your risk for heart disease, cancer, and more. Pork is seen as a healthy but flavorful alternative to red meats, and eating healthy always seems to be a trend somewhere.
Pork is the most consumed meat in the world. The cost of pork is declining because the pork industry is constantly evolving, becoming more efficient and cost effective. Is pork your favorite meat? Maybe it should be.
