A recent study by Technomic, Inc. revealed that total pork sold through the foodservice industry reached a record breaking 9.25 billion pounds – a volume increase of 462 million pounds or 2.6% over 2011. The total protein growth averaged 0.8% and the foodservice industry as a whole grew at 1.5%. Fresh pork has primarily driven the growth, increasing 3.5% per annum. Processed pork grew at 2.3% driven by sales of ham, bacon and breakfast sausage, and sales of pre-cooked and uncooked items grew at approximately the same rate. Of the 24 pork categories examined in the study, 22 saw positive growth in sales with bacon increasing the most between 2011 and 2013. This study reinforces recent data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on August 23, 2013 – as of July 31, 2013 inventories of frozen pork fell 3.5% from June with slightly lower year-to-date pork production and higher prices, pointing to the strong demand experienced since February.
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