DES MOINES, IOWA – To promote the affordability and quality of pork, the National Pork Board’s Pork Checkoff and the Price Chopper supermarket chain published a magazine article focused on pork and healthy living for the new year.

This article appeared in “Healthy Living,” a free magazine published four times a year by Price Chopper. More than 75,000 copies were distributed to Price Chopper’s top customers and shoppers at the chain’s 220 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

“This was our first time to get an article in Healthy Living Magazine,” and Traci Rodemeyer, manager of pork information for the Pork Checkoff.

“It helped us deliver several key points, including pork’s leanness, pork as a value protein and a healthy, easy pork recipe,” said Ryan Mills, retail marketing manager, northeast division, for the Pork Checkoff.

Today’s pork is leaner than it was 18 years ago. The most common cuts of pork are 16% leaner, while the amount of saturated fat has dropped 27%, the article noted.

“When you’re looking for those lean cuts of pork, here’s a tip: loin equals lean,” according to the article, which encourages consumers to look for the word “loin” on the label for the leanest cuts of pork available. “The pork tenderloin is actually as lean as a skinless chicken breast, with a 3-oz. serving containing only 2.98 grams of fat.”

“We surpassed our goals for this pork promotion program, which is great,” Mr. Mills said. “We continue to look for innovative ways to drive more pork purchases with our retail partners like Price Chopper and increase per capita consumption of pork.”