Hormel Sees New Pork Offering Everywhere on the Menu

June 2, 2010 — 

Hormel Foods Corp. unveiled its new Always Tender Oven Roasted Pork items for food service at a press conference during the National Restaurant Show in Chicago this week.

The boneless center-cut loins and tenderloins are fully cooked before they are vacuum-packaged, and so all kitchen staff need do is warm it up. A "proprietary cooking process" ensures that the meat is juicy and flavorful, the company said in a news release.

Hormel's target market for the product is fast-casual restaurant chains.

"We've found the perfect solution to put pork on the menu as patrons have never seen it," says Bill Dion, foodservice product development team leader for the Austin, Minn.-based company. "Now chefs don't have to spend a lot of time cooking pork. They can take a few minutes to create pork dishes that are exciting and craveable ... the types of dishes patrons are looking for."

Hormel cited research by the National Pork Board that found that while more than three out of four chefs said they think pork offers good variety on the menu and can help them achieve their margins, 28 percent said it did not sell when they put it on the menu. Also, 93 percent of patrons were interested in seeing more fresh pork on menus, but almost half did not order it because of the "limited number of pork dishes on the menu." Patrons also felt that most restaurants overcook pork.

The company showcased different menu options for pork using the new products, including sliders and other appetizers, in salads, and in a more traditional center-of-the-plate presentation.

Source:
MeatingPlace.com, 5/24/2010