US pork loin featured during nationwide promotion in Japan
Since officially registering the third Sunday in May as "American Pork Gochipo Day" in Japan, USMEF has utilized its popular Gochipo mascot to grow awareness and differentiate U.S. pork through nationwide promotions on this day since 2017.
In line with the industry’s strategic emphasis on developing demand for underutilized cuts, USMEF promoted the U.S. pork loin on Gochipo Day this year, with a focus on how to properly cook thick cuts at home.
While Tonkatsu, which utilizes pork loin, is a very popular dish in Japanese restaurants, consumers are generally unfamiliar with other ways of cooking thick cuts of pork. Since most traditional pork dishes call for thinly sliced product, USMEF supported the Gochipo Day promotion with cooking recommendations and new recipes utilizing thicker cuts of loin at participating retail outlets and through social media. In western Japan, USMEF went a step further by utilizing a popular radio personality to talk with fans about how to cook a thick cut of U.S. pork.
"We worked directly with a popular radio broadcaster Makoto Ashizawa, who discussed with his audiences his lack of knowledge about how to cook a thick cut of pork,” says USMEF Japan Director Satoshi Kato. “Ashizawa then produced a cooking video about it for his many fans".
Ashizawa also appeared in-person at an Itami outlet in Osaka on Gochipo Day where he talked with fans about the top-quality taste of the American pork loin when cooked properly. On that day, the store sold 1,000 packages of thick-cut, American pork loin.
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