Pilgrim’s UK will produce more than 36 million pork products in the run-up to Christmas as more and more consumers choose pork to be at the heart of their festive occasions.
The manufacturer is expected to sell over 65 million packs of pork and has already produced over 600,000 packs of pigs in blankets in preparation for the festive period.
Pilgrim’s said that changing consumer tastes, as well as concerns over turkey shortages last year, had resulted in a continued decline in the amount of turkey consumed during Christmas 2022.
According to Kantar, turkey consumption had fallen from an average of 10% of the market over the past five years to just 7% in 2022, with volume share falling by 15.6% in the four weeks to Christmas Day 2022 compared with the same period in 2021.
“Evolving consumer tastes and the rising cost of living continues to bring more cost-effective and versatile pork products, such as gammon and pork crackling joints, to centre stage for Christmas dinners,” said Rachel Griffiths, chief commercial officer at Pilgrim’s UK.
“For example, gammon joints are cheaper, costing just over £6 per kilo, compared to a turkey at over £10 per kilo, and cooks beautifully in slow cookers and air fryers, both of which use far less energy than conventional ovens, and therefore help further save money,” she added.
The pork supplier said last year retailers saw a 5.1% uplift in volume sales and a 23.6% increase in value sales year on year of fresh gammon products in the four weeks to 25 December as shoppers switched to alternative centrepieces.
“Gammon is incredibly versatile, is simple to prepare and cook and is delicious – making it an ideal choice for Christmas! And when it comes to utilising leftovers, the recipes are endless,” said Griffiths.
“Our dedicated teams have been working hard, producing over 36 million high-quality pork products in the four weeks to Christmas this year to ensure our retail customers are well stocked for the festive period.”
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