Consumers’ questions have shifted with desire to learn about how their food is produced. The National Pork Board has continued to roll out a series of educational videos hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Eric Stonestreet.
Dr. Cara Haden, Associate Veterinarian at Pipestone, and member of the producer-led Real Pork Barriers Task Force, says consumers have changed the basis of their food purchasing from price to the desire to know more.
“At the same time, we’ve moved pig farming from being outside where people could see what’s going on to inside a building where it feels very secretive to the consumer. And so, I think it’s so important that we address questions and are really open about what happens on pig farms, because people have the right to know where their food comes from and they want to know.”
Dr. Haden encourages all pork producers to tell the story, as doing so is very powerful. “So, I would just encourage any pig farmers out there to showcase the way that they care about pigs, and then to hashtag that: hashtag celebrate real pork. I think that’s a great way to get our story out there. We need a lot of voices to get a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds to understand the way that we care about pigs.”
Dr. Haden says social media can play an important role in the industry and freedom to operate. “It seems to be a source that people trust and that they look to for information. And so, I think it is our obligation as an industry to be there and be telling people what we’re doing. And so, I’m excited about the Eric Stonestreet campaign because I happen to be a female veterinarian with three kids and that reaches a very different audience.”
NPB released the final Real Pork Mythbusting video this week. In the latest video, Stonestreet redefines Hog Wild to show how pork producers are conservative and intentional with environmental stewardship.
The past four Mythbusting videos have received more than 3 million views. Producers are encouraged to visit NPB’s Facebook page to share the video and post how they go “Hog Wild” in their operation.
