Pork’s Opportunity to Reconnect with U.S. Consumers Has Never Been Bigger

Brian Earnest and Abbi Prins

May 29, 2025

Key Points

• Nearly one-quarter of U.S. pork production is exported, and current macroeconomic conditions are elevating risk in the sector.
• Beef and chicken have grown market share while pork has remained largely static. Consumers’ preferences have shifted towards convenience and fat striation “marbling” over leanness and large roast type items.
• However, the National Pork Board’s new “Taste What Pork Can Do” campaign, which targets younger generations and focuses on flavor, aims to improve consumers’ experience with U.S. pork.
• Continuing to enhance the genetic makeup of the domestic hog herd will require a new focus from U.S. hog farmers, one that favors consumer preferences over production efficiencies.

But the U.S. is navigating new trade policies, and the potential risk to the U.S. pork industry should not be ignored. Sluggish exports could mean more pork loins in domestic markets, and U.S. consumers have difficulty cooking “the perfect pork chop.” The timing could not be better for the National Pork Board’s new brand campaign, “Taste What Pork Can Do,” designed to enhance consumer perception. The unapologetic message: “Pork is no longer the ‘other’ anything. It stands proudly on its own – rich in flavor, rooted in culture, and exactly the kind of bold taste younger consumers crave.”

However, pork producers have their work cut out for them. While muscle cuts like pork loins and hams offer value for the frugal consumer, these items lack the convenience of smaller pork cuts. If the U.S. consumer is to reimagine pork, the pork industry may need to make drastic changes, including recalibrating the genetic hog makeup and showcasing different cuts at retail and through food service.

The global market for pork has been a rollercoaster

The discovery of African Swine Fever in China’s swine herd in 2018 was seen as a signal to the world’s producers that China was headed towards deficit pork availability. Global animal protein producers scrambled to fill the void, but few anticipated that China’s domestic swine population would rebound from the 25% decline so swiftly.

During 2020, China covered its domestic production shortfall by importing 1.6 billion pounds of pork from the U.S., double the volume of the prior year. Since then, U.S. pork exports to China have tumbled, with volume totaling just 320 million pounds in 2024. China’s domestic pork production now covers 98% of its domestic pork consumption, which now exceeds 88 pounds per capita. Exporters are left to seek out other markets.

The bigger pork export issue stems from the other 20% classified as “variety meats” including livers, hearts, kidneys, tongues, stomachs, snouts, ears, feet and tails. The total value of pork variety meats exported by the U.S. reached a record at $1.3 billion in 2024.

Any trade barriers in place for countries that purchase variety meats could cause implications for the U.S. pork sector because those products have extremely limited demand in the U.S. Last year, over 1.3 billion pounds of pork variety meats were exported, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation data. China and Mexico accounted for 82% of offal exports in 2024. Overcoming trade barriers and limitations of foreign disappearance remains a real challenge for pork, the top consumed global protein.

Pork demand varies by product type

While Americans have not been taken with some pork cuts and products, flavor is driving the popularity of others. For the last 10 years, the most popular pork item in the U.S. has been bacon. There is even a cult-like following for this item. During the COVID-19 pandemic, dining restrictions curbed center-of-plate offerings in favor of more take-out options, and pizza popularity surged. Sausage-type items and pepperoni gained stronger consumer demand.

If demand drives prices for items like pizza toppings and bacon into record territory, two questions arise. Where is the issue? And why the need for a new marketing plan? While important, the areas of the hog that produce these items are a relatively small portion of marketed pork. The belly, for instance, only makes up about 15% of the hog while the rest must also find a market. Even here, bacon prices have slid from historic values that had otherwise been achieved just a few years ago.

U.S. pork appears to be in a strong position; however, there are a few caveats. Marketers are still having issues clearing some key items without discounting. Pork butts, ribs, picnics and bellies are supporting the overall pork carcass cutout, while items like hams and loins are struggling. The export market has provided a boost for loin disappearance in recent years. Market risk continues to grow as the global economy decouples, encouraging a renewed approach to domestic pork marketing.

The new “Taste What Pork Can Do” campaign may be just the ticket to help move more pork. Now is the opportunity for pork to be redefined for U.S. consumers while supplies are ample and wallets are tight. The industry can take multiple approaches with promotions at the retail level, new products in food service, or by advocating for more pork in government-funded programs like school lunch and military meals.

Challenges to expand consumption on American plates

Flavor is in the fat, and taste is No. 1 driver for protein purchases according to the K-State Meat Demand Monitor. However, the lean hog formulation that was adopted by the broad bulk of U.S. producers more than two decades ago has largely influenced the pork that U.S. consumers are offered today. This has left something to be desired when comparing pork chops to beef steaks, often with an overcooked chop delivering a bad experience.

Similar to the other livestock species, pork production has experienced massive consolidation and immense genetic progress over the last half century. This is largely responsible for the genetic makeup of the U.S. commercial hog herd today. It could take a genetic breakthrough or a complete overhaul of U.S. pork genetics to promote focus on meat quality versus feed efficiency, yield, fertility, disease resistance and other factors that have been more prominent in production than in years past. For example, U.S. beef production started at the animal level to improve meat grades for higher quality beef. Consumers have responded accordingly with stronger demand for Prime and Choice grade steak cuts. To help the consumer reimagine pork, new product variations may be key. Utilizing pork in a new way could help find the pork equivalent of a beef T-bone or rib-eye.

Let’s see what pork can do

Pork is on a new path. The U.S. hog sector pursued value, efficiency and appeasing comparisons to “other categories” 20 years ago. African Swine Fever was a “Black Swan” event that shook global pork trade balances. As China has emerged from its swine woes and foreign trade disputes intensify, the U.S. pork sector is reevaluating focus that more wholly incorporates domestic consumer preferences for pork. This shifted mindset will come with challenges.

The new U.S. pork marketing campaign “Taste What Pork Can Do” is just the beginning of what could be a new pork experience for U.S. consumers. Premiumization of pork is an opportunity to support U.S. consumer desires for protein and be a stronger contender with U.S. beef, especially as the U.S. cattle herd continues contracting. The main challenge is utilizing different pork genetics to enhance the pork-eating experience for U.S. consumers.