The NPA has launched a new campaign putting the spotlight on how retailers are supporting the Great British pork industry in the run up to Christmas.
With the help of NPA members and supporters, ‘The Pork Report’ will highlight both the good and the bad when it comes to how our retailers source, display and label their pork.
It will be a social media-led campaign, linked by #ThePorkReport, during which the NPA will be posting pictures taken in retail stores right across the country and encouraging producer members and the general public to get involved and share what they find.
NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said: “Following a number of calls from members and increasing murmurings within the industry about the apparent lack of demand for Red Tractor pigs and cheap pork flooding in from the EU, we have taken action and launched this new campaign.
“The concept behind it is simple – to have a very visual display of current retailer support for British pork, how the products are presented, and who is actively trying to promote (or not!) our beloved product.
“And we need your support to make it work!”
Here’s how it works
NPA staff have already been into store taking photographs of pork on display at retail outlets across the country.
A selection of these will be posted on the Great British Pork Facebook and Twitter pages (@GBpork).
Different supermarkets will be featured each day, in alphabetical order, starting with Aldi and Asda.
For each retailer we will be posting images in relation to some or all of the following:
New Product Development: Are there any new products on display? Are they British?
Prominence for Pork: How much pork is on display in comparison to other proteins?
British or imported: Is the fresh pork British? And what about the other pork products?
Clear display and labels: What state are the shelves in? Do they look appealing? Is the display clear about what is and isn’t British? And is the labelling unambiguous and clear?
Christmas offering: Is the retailer making a special effort to back British pork in its Christmas offering?
How you can get involved
You can either:
- Post the pictures on Twitter using #ThePorkReport and tag the store and @GBpork. Also mention the store, location and date you took them and why you are posting the picture and what it shows.
- Alternatively, you can email the pictures to NPA@npanet.org.uk including all the above information, so we can post them.
Zoe added: “If we make enough noise about this, hopefully retailers will listen to their customers and start to rethink how they market their pork category – it’s not only us that could benefit!”
For examples of what The Pork Report has picked up so far, see the NPA website.