DES MOINES, IOWA — The National Pork Board (NPB) recently formed a new, five-year program to strengthen consumers’ confidence in the pork industry. Participating in the Real Pork Trust Consortium are five universities — Iowa State University, University of Georgia, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University and University of Minnesota — who together will answer consumer questions related to NPB’s We Care ethical principles.

“The producer-leaders of the National Pork Board recognize the need to engage with consumers to make sure we understand their questions, and they understand more about our commitment to people, pigs and the planet,” said Bob Ruth, NPB president. “We also know we can’t do that alone. We’re excited to partner with the exceptional talent of multiple land-grant universities and support them through involvement in the consortium’s advisory council to develop the best approaches for the most impactful results.”

The focus of the consortium is to provide researched responses to consumers’ questions about the pork industry in a relatable way and to train others to do the same.

“Working across campus and with other universities in a consortium model benefits the research, researchers and pork producers,” said Nicholas Gabler, professor of animal science at Iowa State and lead investigator of the consortium. “We learn from one another and challenge each other to think differently and break out of our comfort zones. This is an exciting project with a common goal of communication to producers, consumers and other stakeholders to enhance knowledge and confidence in pork production, pork’s role in protein nutrition and our industries’ contributions to society.”

Across the five participating universities are leading experts in science communication, animal science, animal welfare, veterinary medicine, meat science and product safety, nutrition, agricultural economics, sustainability, sociology, and agricultural education.

NPB said the consortium is currently in the planning phase and will provide more information about its approach in the fall.