How much do production practices impact consumer meat purchases? The number may be higher than you think. Find out how meat buyers and retail stores can take advantage of strong consumer demand for pork that is produced with the planet in mind.
How much do sustainable production practices impact consumer meat purchases?
According to The Power of Meat 2024, 1 out of 3 consumers look for meat products that are sustainably produced in ways that are better for the planet, people and animal welfare. Those consumers rely on brands and grocery stores to help them identify meat produced using more sustainable practices.1
Buyers can help consumers by stocking meat cases with brands committed to both quality and sustainability. Meat case marketing also can help identify and promote products from brands committed to sustainable practices. Brands can help communicate the message at point of sale by highlighting sustainability on packaging.
Prairie Fresh® is uniquely positioned to help fill this need thanks to a commitment to deliver consistent, quality pork that is raised with the planet in mind. Production practices are so critical to the Prairie Fresh’s identity, they even have a name: the Prairie Fresh Way. It’s a unique perspective on how pork is produced that begins with a commitment to collaboration and connectivity throughout the production pork supply chain to achieve quality meat.
“We believe there is a right way to produce pork that embraces the many needs along the production supply chain,” said Christy Engemann, Director of Sustainability, Seaboard Foods. “We collaborate with our partners and oversee operations to produce pork that is safe, nutritious and high-quality – all with an eye to long-term viability and being good stewards of our land.”
The Prairie Fresh Way includes a connected food system with farms, processing plants and a networked supply chain where Prairie Fresh has oversight of details that impact nutritional programs, animal practices, biosecurity and much more. Prairie Fresh sets high standards for on-farm pork production, with an emphasis on animal health and welfare. Processing plants are owned by Prairie Fresh, which means better tracing capabilities from farm to fork.
“The Prairie Fresh Way and our connected food system allow us to operate with transparency so that meat buyers can have confidence when they source pork – they can know where it comes from, who produced it, and that it was produced responsibly,” Engemann said. “Consumers continue to emphasize the importance of understanding how meat is produced when they make purchasing decisions, and Prairie Fresh meets that demand across our pork products.”
Prairie Fresh also is committed to furthering practices that benefit the environment, its employees and its communities. Farms and operating facilities meet or exceed all recommended environmental and safety requirements, and the company continually monitors operations to help identify ways to conserve resources and enhance employee safety. Prairie Fresh also contributes to Seaboard Food’s sustainability goals by generating renewable natural gas through biogas capture projects at livestock farms.
“We’re focused on doing what’s right for our customers, the animals, the Earth, and all the resources under our care,” Engemann said. “Ultimately, it’s our responsibility to bring together stewardship and good business practices so that we can serve meat buyers and consumers, now and into the future.”
To learn more about Prairie Fresh and its commitment to sustainable, high-quality pork, go to www.prairiefreshway.com.
1 The Power of Meat 2024, https://www.fmi.org/forms/uploadFiles/86351500000001.toc.Power_of_Meat_2024_Top_10_FINAL.pdf
