The pig sector must adapt to the growing consumer trend towards convenience, AHDB Pork has said.
According to Kantar Worldpanel, preparation and cooking time is down from an average 60 minutes in 1980 to 31 minutes in 2015.
A statement from AHDB Pork said: “With some of the most popular pork dishes taking far longer than this to prepare and cook, it highlights the vulnerability of primary red meat in fitting in with modern lifestyles.
“The rise of convenience products shows that the red meat sector needs to adapt and cater for changing consumer lifestyles. To date the pig meat sector has a fairly low market share, suggesting it has been slow to respond to these trends. However, the opportunities are there to develop new products, such as pulled pork, to build that share, adding value and contributing to overall pig meat demand.”
The meat, fish and poultry convenience market is currently worth £3.6 billion and growing at a rate of almost 4% annually. Chicken holds the largest share at 30%, though value sales are down 1% on the year. Pork is currently sitting at 11%, growing by 3% annually.
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