US pork promotion goes to Guatemala

Consumers in South America believe pork is not safe to eat due to animal disease and because hogs eat food scraps or tainted food. In order to dispel this believe the USMEF launched a campaign last year to promote safe US pork in the region.

The current phase of the campaign focuses on US pork “La Otra Carne Blance” (The Other White Meat), and targets medium-high to high income consumers. This is because US pork is more expensive than domestic products.

The campaign will feature television advertisements, as well as advertisements in local newspapers, popular food magazines and billboards and will run up to the Christmas season.

Ricardo Vernazza-Paganini, USMEF director of Central and South America, predicts that it will take at least five years to see any significant shift in how consumers in the region view pork.

The promotion is being funded by the National Pork Board and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Market Access Program.