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Pork producers not only raise it, they promote it tooIowa From small town celebrations to big city events and festivals, you'll find Iowa's pork producers firing up the grills all over the state and the country each year to promote pork. Pork producers understand the importance of promoting what they raise and pork promotion is one of the leading Pork Checkoff-funded activities conducted by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. IPPA promotes pork in Iowa and at several events around the country every year. The association partners with local college and professional sports teams, the Iowa Speedway, Fareway and Hy-Vee grocery stores and many other entities around Iowa to help move product. Iowa producers also travel to Florida, Indiana and other states during the year for IPPA promotional events. Many Iowa producers also have traveled around the country this year to promote pork as part of the National Pork Board's "The Other White Meat Tour," an experiential marketing campaign to educate consumers about all-things pork. Producers volunteered at nearly 20 different events in places such as Washington, D.C., Boston, Mass., Sacramento, Calif. and Albuquerque, N.M. "The whole purpose is to increase demand and get product in front of people who don't know about pork or don't normally eat pork," said Don Toale, IPPA Promotions Committee chairman and a producer from Independence. "U.S. demand [for pork] has been stagnant in recent years and per capita consumption has decreased." Toale was one of 15 Iowa producers who traveled to Sacramento, Calif., this summer for a promotional event at the California State Fair. Natural pork loin samples were served and Toale said many of those sampling the product had never eaten pork before. "It was a good event," he said. "It helps when producers are actually grilling and serving at the events," Toale said. "It brings a friendlier atmosphere to the situation and people can put a face on the product. The public learns that the people raising hogs are no different than they are." IPPA supplements the promotional events with radio and print advertising, cooking demonstrations, culinary contests and many more activities. The mission of the IPPA Promotions Committee is to inform consumers about pork's nutritional value, its versatility and how easy it is to prepare. The committee also works to educate health care professionals on how pork can be part of a healthy diet. "The main thing is we need to keep (pork) out in front of people and keep it in the forefront of their mind," Toale said. 11/17/08 Date: 11/11/08
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