Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 11/17/14

Smithfield Farmland is introducing PRIME, a premium, All Natural Fresh Pork line.

In a news release, the brand declared the product line to be 20 percent more tender than other leading brands of non-enhanced natural pork, which it attributed to sourcing the PRIME products from market hogs sired by the Smithfield Farmland proprietary Duroc line and segregating the product from the general population during processing.

The PRIME line is produced under a USDA Process Verification Program that ensures no beta-agonist growth promotants are used.

“Not all pork is created equal and we’re confident that when consumers experience PRIME they’ll be able to see the exceptional color and increased marbling, and taste the tenderness and flavor difference,” said Roger Johnson, director of pork quality at Smithfield.

Development of the PRIME line began in 2004. Over the past 10 years, Johnson and his team have performed quarterly benchmarking at the retail level, comparing Smithfield Farmland PRIME precursors relative to other fresh pork products.
Smithfield Farmland Prime is available nationwide.

Smithfield Farmland Corp. was formed in April 2014 by the merger of The Smithfield Packing Company and Farmland Foods.

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