April 9, 2007

Canadian pork organisations form alliance to market pork

Canada's pork organisations are banding together to revive a lacklustre pork market through the streamlining of consumer marketing services.

The new alliance, Pork Marketing Canada, was formed between Ontario Pork, Alberta Pork and Manitoba Pork Council and would develop and implement a set of joint marketing initiatives targeting consumers, retailers and food service operators.

The alliance would advise on matters pertaining to pork in food preparation, health and nutrition and related industry issues, the new organisation said.

Pork Marketing Canada would also help the industry gain efficiency and maximise its human and financial resources to achieve the consumer marketing objectives of the three organisations.

The partnership came about as Canada's pork industry realise that they need to combine strengths to address consumer issues, said Roy Kruse, director consumer services for Alberta Pork.

The alliance follows efforts by the provincial pork organisations' to move towards closer working relationships on various initiatives such as animal care and environmental issues.

As the group's initiative is phased in over the next two years, consumers and the industry would see a strategy to further expand pork sales in Canada, Ontario Pork's director of communications and consumer marketing, Keith Robbins said.