DES MOINES, IOWA — The National Pork Board recently launched a new consumer marketing campaign – Pork as a Passport – to highlight global cuisines that use pork. The campaign is an effort to encourage people cooking during the COVID-19 pandemic to become more adventurous with their pork dishes.

“Pork as a Passport celebrates the authentic flavors of pork and shows consumers how to take at-home recipes to a new level,” said Angie Krieger, vice president of domestic marketing at the Pork Board. “Six months into the pandemic, consumers are ready for mealtime variety, and this campaign helps cooks start that journey in their kitchen with flavorful and authentic options.”

Krieger also pointed to the changing demographics in the country as a reason it wanted to emphasize a variety of recipes with this campaign.

“With the increasing diversity in the US, many households come from one or more cultures – think Latin, Asian and Eastern and Southern Europe – where pork is the staple protein in those familiar, favorite dishes,” Krieger said. “There’s a strong desire for those traditional comfort foods. Those same dishes also appeal to those who haven’t been able to travel because of the coronavirus. Pork allows them to create those authentic flavors in their own kitchen and helps satisfy a bit of their wanderlust.”

In its campaign, NPB also points to the farm-to-fork efforts of the pork industry.

“A growing number of consumers – especially Millennials and those in Generation Z – are asking questions about their food, how it was raised and the environmental impact of getting it from the farm to their plate,” said Dr. Brett Kaysen, vice president of sustainability for the Pork Board. “From the farmers who raise pigs, to the processors who make pork, our industry has made great strides to reduce our collective environmental footprint. We’re proud of those efforts, and proud of the ethical principles that guide us.”

More details can be found regarding the campaign at pork.org/realpork and on the National Pork Board’s social media accounts.