Pork has been the fastest-growing protein in foodservice since 2011, according to Technomic Inc.’s 2017 Volumetric Assessment of Pork in Foodservice. Over the past six years, pork use has grown on a pound basis by more than double chicken, which is the next fastest growing protein –pork use increased by 1.145 billion pounds, while chicken use grew by 515 million pounds. On a percentage basis, pork grew three times the rate of turkey, the next fastest growing protein, at 3.6 percent versus 1.2 percent. During this same time period, pork represents 61 percent of all protein growth in the foodservice industry (1,145 billion pounds of a total growth of 1,867 billion pounds).
The pork category continues to increase in foodservice, with a growth rate of 0.8 percent from 2015 to 2017. Totaling 5.9 billion pounds, the growth reflects a volume increase of 114 million pounds over the 2013 to 2015 time period.