Giving meat a bad name

Laws are like sausages — it is best not to see them being made.” This quote has been widely but wrongly attributed to Otto Von Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor” of Germany in the 19th century, which proves that misinformation was spreading long before the Internet. However, the Internet is certainly a much more efficient way

Happy hogs and right smart marketing

For over 20 years Jackie served as the main field hand on the big dairy farm of my youth. He possessed a hired man’s respect for talk; he talked only when talked to and then, most times, in a collection of southern Illinois’ phrases that carried more code than context. For example, once my father


No Future For Pork Belly Futures

Chicago’s iconic pork belly market has closed after 50 years of being the subject of jokes for movies and TV shows and satisfying Americans’ hunger for bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwiches. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange shut down the frozen pork belly futures market at the end of business on Friday, July 15. The closing had been expected. Trading

High Prices May Push Bacon Off Menus

The recent royal wedding celebrations at London’s Buckingham Palace featured bacon sandwiches on the menu for the morning after the night before. The fact that bacon featured so prominently alongside other delicacies in such revered surroundings is quite fitting given that bacon prices are closing in on all-time highs and look set to continue pressing


Chef Trumpets Need To Promote Pork

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. Edmonton chef Brad Smoliak is passionate about food and especially pork, but he says barriers need to be overcome in order to increase consumption. “Pork has

Another Pork Importer Considers COOL

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. In 2017 Australian producers are due to phase out sow stalls for all but a maximum of six weeks of gestation. This change has been accepted


Bringing A Bit Of Home For British Pork Lovers – for Sep. 9, 2010

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. When Alan and Nicola Irving set up their new business producing fresh British-style sausages and bacon, they knew they would be popular with ex-pat Brits like

Pork, The Food Of Love

Holy simmering succotash! Could pork be the new Viagra? Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez made international headlines recently when she suggested putting pork on your fork leads to more than yummy in your tummy. “I’ve just been told something I didn’t know; that eating pork improves your sex life … I’d say it’s a lot nicer


Beleaguered Brit Pork Producers Fight Back

As our industry looks at how to respond to the decline in its competitive position, it might be worth studying what happened in the U. K. Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator.

Pulse Industry Releases Vision Document

Finding growth areas in the health sector and capitalizing on increasing concern for the environment are among the five key elements contained in a new vision and strategy document recently released by the Canadian pulse industry. Other elements include building on core strengths such as breeding and agronomy, reducing access barriers and serving existing markets.