The World Pork Expo kicks off in Des Moines this week. Mike Wegner with the National Pork Board says it’s a good time for the industry. Wegner says the U-S has set a new record for pork exports now for fifteen years in a row, increasing sales to other countries by 28-percent just last year. So far in 2005, he says sales look on pace to break that record. Wegner says the world market’s a great one for pork producers and he says the pork checkoff’s very much involved in helping open markets around the world. Wegner says promoters are bouyed by a US Supreme Court ruling that may restore the national pork checkoff, which raises funds to promote the meat. Wegner explains it paid for the “Other White Meat” promotion campaign, which is over a decade-and-a-half old now. On its success the Pork Board is building a new campaign called “Don’t Be Blah.” The campaign aimed at young cooks in particular who often find themselves in a rut, showing them pork is a lean, healthy nutritious choice that’s easy to prepare. In a university study, Wegner says “The Other White Meat” proved the fifth most recognizable advertising slogan. The message, complete with cooking tips, recipes, nutrition information and colorful graphics, is on its own website, “The Other White Meat-dot-com.”
