National Pork Board

What National Pork Board does

The National Pork Board is a quasi-governmental commodity checkoff organization established in 1986 under the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act, headquartered in Clive, Iowa. The Board is funded by mandatory assessments on pork sales and is responsible for Checkoff-funded research, promotion, and consumer information programs for the U.S. pork industry. It serves U.S. pork producers, the broader supply chain, and end consumers through consumer marketing, nutrition research, sustainability initiatives, and international market development.

The Board operates two primary digital platforms: Pork.org, a consumer-facing website offering recipes, pork cut education, cooking techniques (11 methods), nutrition resources, and food safety guidance; and PorkCheckoff.org, which serves producers and industry stakeholders. Its core industry-facing programs include the Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA), Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus), Transport Quality Assurance (TQA), and Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports — all implemented under a One Health framework integrating animal welfare, worker safety, and environmental stewardship. Consumer marketing initiatives include the "Taste What Pork Can Do" and "Explora Todo El Gusto Del Pork" campaigns, with the latter targeting Hispanic Gen Z and Millennial consumers in partnership with agency LERMA/.

The Board's revenue model is structurally distinct from a conventional company: it is funded by mandatory Pork Checkoff assessments rather than product sales or advertising. Demand is generated through a hybrid go-to-market approach spanning consumer digital content, retail partnerships (e.g., 143-store Fareway trial), foodservice collaborations (Native Grill & Wings), and international trade development via the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Quantifiable outcomes include a 37% year-over-year increase in U.S. pork exports to Colombia (~$255M, +44% in value). Leadership includes CEO David Newman and recently returned VP of Demand Development Patrick Fleming.

Name

National Pork Board

Legal name

National Pork Board

Website

https://pork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Pork Board is a federally-mandated checkoff organization that funds research, promotion, and consumer education for the U.S. pork industry, operating Pork.org, industry certification programs (CSIA, PQA Plus, TQA), and consumer campaigns targeting home cooks and Hispanic consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodity Promotion

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (31161), Hog and Pig Farming (1122), Hog and Pig Farming (11221)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Pork Processing & Packing (AFAKALAB)

Keywords

• Pork promotion
• Commodity checkoff
• Pork consumer education
• Pork industry research
• Pork marketing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Clive

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The National Pork Board is a quasi-governmental commodity checkoff organization that conducts Checkoff-funded research, promotion, and consumer information projects for the U.S. pork industry. It operates Pork.org as a consumer-facing digital platform offering recipes, pork cut education, cooking techniques, nutrition resources, and food safety guidance. It also delivers industry programs such as Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA), Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus), Transport Quality Assurance (TQA), and Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports under a One Health framework, alongside consumer marketing campaigns including Taste What Pork Can Do and Explora Todo El Gusto Del Pork.

Product overview

National Pork Board operates pork.org as a consumer-focused digital platform providing comprehensive pork-related content. The core website offers educational resources organized into major sections: Recipes (featuring step-by-step pork-based dish instructions with nutritional data), Pork Cuts (detailing 13 cut types from bacon to sausage with cooking guidance), Cooking Techniques (covering 11 methods including grilling, air frying, and smoking), Pork Nutrition resources, and Pork Safety information. The Board also maintains industry-facing programs including Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA), Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus), Transport Quality Assurance (TQA), and Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports for sustainability tracking, all implemented under a One Health framework. Consumer marketing initiatives include the Taste What Pork Can Do® campaign and the newly launched Explora Todo El Gusto Del Pork™ campaign targeting Hispanic consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• U.S. pork exports to Colombia increased 37% year-over-year to nearly 90,000 metric tons valued at $255 million, up 44% in value
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Soybean Board: Federally-checkoff-funded promotion and research organization for U.S. soybean farmers. Operates under an identical federal checkoff framework and producer-assessment funding model as NPB, with similar program areas in research, promotion, and consumer education.
• National Fisheries Institute: Trade association promoting U.S. seafood consumption through marketing, research, and policy work. Comparable in mission and structure to NPB, though its funding model mixes voluntary industry contributions rather than a single mandatory checkoff.
• American Egg Board: Federally-checkoff-funded promotion organization for U.S. egg producers under the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act. Operates the same checkoff structure as NPB with consumer marketing, nutrition research, and producer-funded promotion programs.
• Cattlemen's Beef Board (Beef Checkoff): Federally-mandated commodity checkoff organization for beef producers under the Beef Promotion and Research Act. Structurally identical to NPB in funding mechanism, governance, and promotional/research mandate, making it the closest peer for an industry-promotion board.
• National Chicken Council: Trade association representing U.S. chicken producers/processors; while not a checkoff board itself, it is the closest industry counterpart competing for protein share and engaging in similar consumer marketing, foodservice partnerships, and nutrition advocacy work as NPB.
• National Dairy Council / Dairy Management Inc. Checkoff-funded promotion and research organization for U.S. dairy, operated under similar federal statute and producer-assessment funding. Directly comparable business model and mission of driving per-capita consumption of an agricultural commodity.
• National Turkey Federation: National trade association promoting turkey consumption through consumer marketing and research, comparable in scope and protein-category positioning to NPB, though it combines advocacy and promotion roles under a single body.

Broad incumbents

• National Pork Producers Council: Sister organization to NPB representing U.S. pork producers on policy, lobbying, and trade advocacy. While NPB handles checkoff-funded promotion and research, NPPC handles legislative/regulatory advocacy; both serve the same producer base and frequently collaborate.
• North American Meat Institute: Broader meat-industry trade association covering beef, pork, lamb, and veal processors and suppliers. Overlaps with NPB on pork-specific promotion, sustainability, and food safety initiatives but operates across multiple protein categories.

Emerging players

• U.S. Meat Export Federation: Nonprofit trade association that develops international markets for U.S. red meat. Acts as a key implementation partner for NPB's international market development (e.g., the Colombia export program) and is structurally adjacent though focused on exports rather than domestic promotion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NationalPork
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nationalporkboard
• Facebookfacebook.com/TasteWhatPorkCanDo
• Instagraminstagram.com/tastewhatporkcando
• Pinterestpinterest.com/tastewhatporkcando

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Pork Board