"Fresh pork revolution results in emerging battle of the brands"

Feedstuffs, June 5, 2000 - SPECIAL REPORT
By STEVE MARBERY

Processors offer several reasons for enhancing pork (story, p. 17), a process designed to boost fresh pork consumption for “time-challenged” Americans. The most common motive is consumer convenience.

Packers have injected hams and poultry products for decades. Only recently has fresh pork pumping gained national momentum. At the forefront of the accelerating trend is Hatfield Quality Meats Inc., the oldest pork packer in the U.S. under continuous ownership. Last year, the 105-year-old Hatfield, Pa.-based packer launched several fresh branded pumped products in the Northeast. “We buy only hogs with superior meat quality, regardless of the market,” said John Reininger, retail sales director.

The first U.S. packer to merge online loin depth and backfat measurements with a carcass payment plan based on primary retail cuts, Hatfield installed the Danish Fat-O-Meater (SFK Technologies) in the late 1980s. A few years ago, the company adopted SFK’s AutoFOM, which scans carcasses at 2,000 points with ultrasound and monitors intramuscular fat, pH and color in the cooler.

“The reason we enhance fresh pork is for customer convenience and to reduce the risk of dry pork caused by overcooking. We want to make products as goof-proof as possible,” Reininger said. The company supplies food service and restaurants with nonpumped fresh product, because chefs prefer custom marinating and spicing methods. Hatfield’s trademarked marinated fresh pork is supplied ready-to-cook. Designed for at-home eating pleasure, products are rubbed with flavoring agents.

On the cutting edge of fresh pork marketing, the company uses a proprietary marinating process that injects 8% solution, said Reininger. The flagship fresh lean product is Tender Plus, which features flavor and convenience. Cooking instructions are provided. Product literature explains “superior taste” is backed by “exacting livestock selection” and animal care standards that reduce stress and injury. The movement of pork quickly from farm to table also is assured.

The Tender Plus line promotes “unique flavor profiles.” It includes boneless pork chops (center cut and gourmet with Italian, garlic and onion and oven-roasted styles) dubbed as “easy family dinners” fixed with disposable thermometers that turn from black to red at 160°F. Offered as a “healthy substitute for steak and delicious alternative to chicken breast,” they can be cooked in 10 minutes. Roasts can be prepared in 20 minutes per pound. Fresh roasts include Italian and garden herb flavors. Sirloin roasts feature southwestern, garlic and onion, peppercorn and teriyaki. Described as a “healthy alternative to the fillet mignon,” boneless pork tenderloins are 97% fat-free and include honey mustard, traditional, peppercorn and teriyaki. They require about 30 minutes to cook, but faster preparation is possible if sliced into medallions. Products are backed by food safety assurances.

Hatfield processes 1,500 products, from bacon to fresh loins, for supermarkets, restaurants and food service. All enhanced products are guaranteed fresh, said Jeffrey Bohmueller, product manager. They are supplied throughout the Northeast and overseas. Last year, the company sold a record 402 million pounds of pork, a 7% increase from 1998. In April, the company expanded its consumer-ready fresh pork program at a Springfield, Mass., processing facility.

Global dimensions

Pumped pork is here to stay, but nothing will replace superior carcass quality, which starts at the farm. Some customers prefer nonpumped product. For key Japanese clients, Hatfield sources genetics from Babcock Swine Inc. of Rochester, Minn. Hogs are supplied by a joint venture between Hatfield Quality Meats and Wenger Feeds of Rheems, Pa. Most of Hatfield’s Japanese product stems from this commercial system. Babcock has built a reputation in Japan for tender, well-marbled pork with low purge and superior palatability.

The high-health, 25,000-sow Pennsylvania system maintains a closed gilt multiplication and replacement herd served by a boar stud to produce pork for the Japanese market. The first U.S. company to eliminate the halothane stress gene, Babcock furnishes select lines from its nucleus herd. Among other quality factors, lines are selected with DNA gene marker technology for superior marbling, meat texture and color, said Jim McPeak Sr., president of the breeding company. The company serves the emerging high-quality fresh pork segment and traditional commodity market, he added. Lines with up to 5% Intramuscular fat have been chosen for select Japanese markets. McPeak said he believes good marbling is compatible with superior lean pork, though U.S. payment schemes discount for excessive marbling. Japan’s preference for superior eating qualities merely precedes what is starting to occur in the U.S., he said.

In the Pennsylvania pyramid, hogs are grown under strict housing, health, nutrition and handling standards, and pork is tracked from plant to farm, Reininger explained that Hatfield’s plant was built around low-stress, high-tech hog handling and stunning methods, another factor that attracted Japanese buyers to Pennsylvania. All pork originates from farms on Level III of the National Pork Producer’s Council Pork Quality Assurance Program. Hatfield has plenty of company in the quest for pork convenience. In August, Hormel Foods Inc. of Austin, Minn., introduced Always Tender, fresh product the company said “ensures ultimate juiciness and ultimate pork flavor.” Backed by a patented marinating and pumping process, it includes chops, tenderloins, ribs and roasts in several flavors. The packer guarantees the product “can be cut with a fork.” It uses a proprietary solution of 8% for ribs to 12% for primal cuts and 30% for flavored items such as Always Tender center cut pork chop (with caramel color), designed to cook in 30 minutes or less.

Convenience is paramount. According to company literature, 73% of consumers wait until 4:30 p.m. to decide what to eat, and 40% spend just 30 minutes fixing dinner. That could drop to 15 minutes by next year. Attacking the “cooking crunch” for “time-starved consumers” is a priority. One-third of consumers surveyed purchase precut, marinated or preseasoned, ready-to-cook meat, according to Hormel. Pre-cooked items have been added to the Always Tender line.

Farmland foods Inc. of Kansas City, Mo., produces ExtraTender pumped products for major retailers. A Farmland Industries Inc. subsidiary, the packer has trademarked the term “Deep-Basted,” a proprietary solution of 7% water and sodium phosphate that enhances juiciness, minimizes purge, improves cooking yield and tenderness, and reduces freezer burn. Phosphate is important for bone formation, cellular growth, metabolism and blood circulation, according to product literature. Farmland’s fresh pork contains just 170 mg of sodium per trimmed 3-oz. serving, compared with 1,100 – 1,200 mg for cooked ham, 90 mg for pork sirloin (nonpumped), 75 mg for choice beef sirloin and 66 mg for chicken white meat, according to company labels.

This is a portion of the article that appeared in the June 5, 2000 edition of Feedstuffs, pages 18, 28.