A Winnipeg company is trying to pull pork out of the commodity business by turning it into a health food.
So far, Prairie Orchard Farms’ omega 3 pork is drawing a lot of attention from health food fanatics.
“We’re getting huge worldwide attention,” said company owner Willy Hoffmann, whose products were showcased at a recent food show in Cologne, Germany, and have been displayed in the United States.
But right now the pork cuts, which are allowed to carry a rare Canadian Food Inspection Agency health claim, can only be found in a couple of dozen grocery stores in Winnipeg, Gimli, and Portage la Prairie, Man., and Thunder Bay, Ont.
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Hoffman said new stores are being added every month.
CFIA recognizes the pork as being health-promoting because of its high omega 3 fatty acid content. These fatty acids reduce the risk of a number of ailments, including heart disease.
Omega 3 pork is the first meat, other than fish, that has been allowed by the CFIA to make a health claim. Omega 3 eggs laid by hens fed flax have been a marketing success, occupying a significant share of the shelf space devoted to eggs in most grocery stores.
The pork gets its high omega 3 count through its feed ration, which contains flax.
Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op general manager Perry Mohr is excited by the omega 3 pork’s potential to become a premium product, but said it’s going to take a long fight to get it into consumers’ hands.
“I think that once they taste it they’ll be willing to pay a premium for it,” said Mohr, whose organization is co-ordinating hog production for Prairie Orchards. “It’s just a matter of getting them to try it.”
Getting any new food product into major grocery stores is difficult, and right now Prairie Orchards is only producing 20,000-30,000 kilograms per week, which isn’t enough to satisfy most national chains’ needs.
The Winnipeg stores that carry the pork are mostly independent outlets that are more flexible than stores such as Safeway or Superstore.
The product was first sold through retail stores in August 2004, but was not allowed to make the omega 3 claim until April 2005 due to the length of the CFIA’s validation process.
Hoffmann thinks starting small and gradually increasing the size of his company’s sales is creating credibility with buyers, who aren’t likely to see omega 3 pork as a fly-by-night product after receiving it for more than a year.
“You have to have the ability to do this every week, year in, year out, the same quality. We’ve done this for a year and we’ve proven we can do this continuously,” said Hoffmann.
“You have to prove to the industry that you can produce the volume.”
Convincing major chains to accept the product will take time, he said.
“The industry is basically a commodity market, and when we come in with this (specially labelled and packaged product), they scratch their heads and wonder how they are going to handle it,” said Hoffmann.
Hoffmann isn’t a farmer. His venture with producing omega 3 pork came from his time as a hog feed manufacturer with his former company MaxPro Feeds. He and his partner sold the feed company two years ago and now he devotes his time to the omega 3 pork company. The company has been developing the special pork program for six years.
Hoffmann said swine nutrition is the key to producing omega 3 pork and making it taste good.
Flax is incorporated in the diet to add the omega 3 element, while a variety of other vitamins and minerals are added to keep the pigs stable and make the meat juicy and tender. Hoffmann said the pork can be shipped fresh to Japan without spoiling.
Omega 3 content alone is not enough to make the meat a consistent seller. It also has to taste better than bulk commodity pork.
“Even though omega 3 has health benefits and consumers may try it because of those, the only reason they’ll choose it again is if they like eating it,” said Hoffmann.
Right now three farmers produce all the pigs the company needs. The animals are segregated during slaughter, cutting, storage and packaging.
He said the company can’t afford to have its product mixed with commodity pork. He also deals only with reputable retailers and locks up the omega 3 labels, because he doesn’t want anyone falsely advertising common pork as his omega 3 pork.
Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op has established an independent pork price grid for the pigs in the program, which compensates producers for the extra cost and care of production.
Mohr said more than 20 other hog producers are in a queue, hoping Prairie Orchard’s sales grow enough to bring them into the supply chain.
Hoffmann said his company wants to pay producers a 25 percent premium, which will pay for the extra costs and keep farmers loyal to the program.
“We need to work with the best and keep the best,” said Hoffmann.
Mohr said the product is slowly expanding its retail foothold, and that should be good for producers.
“We’re always looking for opportunities for our producers, things that can enhance their ability to be part of a niche market that can increase their returns,” said Mohr.
He credited Hoffmann for sticking with the omega 3 pork project for so many years, because today’s success came after many frustrations.
“Willy’s invested a tremendous amount in this,” said Mohr.
“People with less resolve would have given up long ago.”
