Pilgrim’s UK to produce 4m welfare pork products in run-up to Christmas
The predicted uptick in demand for pork this Christmas comes as shortages of turkey and record food and drink inflation force consumers to seek more affordable options.
In particular, Pilgrim’s UK expected a 25% uplift in volume of gammon and a greater demand for pork crackling joints – both of which saw strong growth over Christmas last year (2021).
Value for money
Rachel Griffiths, chief commercial officer at Pilgrim’s UK, said: “Not only is a gammon joint cheaper – costing around £8 per kilo, compared to a turkey at over £12 per kilo – but it’s also often slow cooked which uses far less energy, and therefore money, than conventional oven cooking. Gammon is incredibly versatile, is simple to prepare and cook and is absolutely delicious – making it an ideal choice for Christmas!
“We started production early to meet this anticipated demand as consumers seek to avoid shortages and get their hands on affordable alternatives in time for Christmas.
Stocked for Christmas
“Our dedicated teams have been working hard, producing over 1.6 million higher welfare, high quality gammon joints and more than 157,000 pork crackling joints to ensure our retail customers are well stocked for the festive period.”
Fresh pork has increased its share of the wider protein category over the past four weeks to 13.3% in terms of volume compared to the last four weeks of December 2021 and is set to be even more popular this Christmas, according to Kantar.
It also found that fresh turkey faced a more than 85% drop in volume share of the category during the same period.
Meanwhile, the cost of pig production in the UK increased in 2021, with pig producers struggling to hit margins despite positive prices in 2022.
