Source: MEATINGPLACE, 5/3/17

Pork use in foodservice over the past six years has grown by more than double the rate for chicken, the next fastest growing protein by pound, the National Pork Board said, citing data from Technomic Inc.

Pork use increased by 1.145 billion pounds, while chicken use grew by 515 million pounds.

On a percentage basis, pork grew at three times the rate of turkey, at 3.6 percent versus 1.2 percent over the six-year period.
From 2015 to 2017, the pork category in foodservice grew 0.8 percent to a total of 5.9 billion pounds, reflecting a volume increase of 114 million pounds over the 2013-2015 period.

Bacon love
Driving pork growth are bacon, processed ham, breakfast sausage, ribs and pepperoni. The love of bacon shows no signs of slowing and represents the largest share of volume, at 20 percent, or 1.2 billion pounds, growing 4 percent since 2015.
Consumers seeking new flavor profiles and global cuisine have boosted growth of carnitas by 5 percent on a compound annual basis since 2015, while porchetta has seen a 15 percent rise.

Growth at limited-service restaurants has been mainly driven by the all-day breakfast additions by major chains.
In categories where both uncooked and pre-cooked forms exist, pre-cooked pork has grown at a faster rate over the past two years, at 4.7 percent versus 0.9 percent for uncooked. This growth can be attributed to packer/processor innovation and an ability to deliver quality pre-cooked products that address the labor challenges many operators face, the pork board said.

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