What could possibly go wrong?
The USDA has proposed a new rule to lift caps on line speeds in pork processing plants. Currently the rate at which hogs are killed and processed is limited to 1,106 per hour. This speed cap is in place to help protect plant workers from injury and consumers from unsafe meat, with little concern for the animals being slaughtered. The USDA plans on handing over even more of the inspection responsibility to the plants themselves… but might lifting these regulations backfire? NEXT research suggests just this. Consider these results from a 1,000-person survey, representative of the US consumer.
The question for Conventional Big Pork is this: at a time when consumers trust industry less and are asking for more regulation – for animals, workers and their own health – why push policies that destablize consumer trust even further?
To learn how industry and policy changes could impact your brand, contact the NEXT Data & Insights team.