Put the data from the June 2011 Pork Champions survey to work in your meat case using the action steps below.

Take Away: The main reasons consumers overcook pork is due to health and food safety concerns.

Action Step: Educate your consumers that 145°F, followed by a 3 minute rest time, is the USDA’s new safe cooking temperature for pork. Post our new 145°F point-of-sale materials in your meat department to make customers aware of the revised guidelines. Available materials include a poster, ironman with or without a price topper, static cling, and cooking chart.

 

Take Away: Pork Champions are more likely than Primary Shoppers to cook their pork medium well or medium (59% vs. 48%), but 38% still say they typically cook to well. The new 145°F temperature announcement caused a significant number of Pork Champions to reconsider their well-done preparation method.

Action Step: Encourage your “well done” customers to switch to “medium” or “medium rare” to enjoy the benefits of more tender, juicy pork. Prepare your meat staff to educate customers with our handy new Pocket Guide and “Frequently Asked Questions” sheet they can use to share tips at the meat case.

 

Take Away: Appearance is the primary way both Pork Champions and Primary Shoppers determine doneness. The use of meat thermometers comes in a distant second.

Action Step: Broaden the focus to also include temperature by merchandising easy-to-read meat thermometers at your meat case to help your customers cook pork to the new lower temp and ensure the best eating experience possible. Also let your customers know that pork cooked to 145°F is medium rare and can be pink in the center.

Above all, stock the meat case with shoulder cuts, loin roasts, chops and tenderloins to give customers a terrific selection that they’ll want to take home and prepare using the new guidelines. The 145°F messaging is great news for retailers – make it work for you!