The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) teamed up with leading soy-sauce producer Kikkoman Corporation in Japan to promote a popular winter dish called Kakuni, which was prepared with U.S. pork belly, in efforts to increase sales of U.S. pork by featuring its versatility and value.

The promotion lasted one month and sold 100,186 pounds of U.S. pork belly at 857 outlets of 11 retail chains. The promotion positioned U.S. pork as a nutritious, tasty, and safe product that can be eaten every day. It highlighted the tenderness of U.S. pork belly and its versatility in the Japanese menu.

Kakuni, or square-cut pork belly, is a traditional recipe and was the top dish young housewives polled by Kikkoman wanted to learn how to prepare. During the promotion, these consumers learned they can cook Kakuni as a New Year’s meal using a simple recipe.

In 15 days at 72 stores, retailer Yaoko sold the most U.S. pork belly at just more than 22,000 pounds, while Ito-Yokado sold almost 17,000 pounds in two days at 120 stores. Uny sold almost 14,000 pounds of U.S. pork belly in two days at 14 stores.

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