Pork
Pork is a delicious and versatile meat!
Though pork was long considered to be a fatty
meat, breeding methods used today generate much leaner cuts of
meat. The modern trend towards leaner meats has led to the
development of species that are 30 to 50% leaner than animals
raised thirty years ago.
With this new production method, pig farmers are breeding animals
with more meat, less fat and higher protein content. Animal feed
has also evolved a great deal and also impacts on the quality of
animals that now contain 5 to 15% fat instead of the previous 25 to
30%.
The incidence of trichina, a microscopic parasite worm, has been
completely eradicated so pork is no longer cooked
the same way. Today, pork is cooked to pink, or
medium, which makes it much tastier and juicy.
Pork is a slightly-marbled white meat that is very
versatile and can be prepared in many different
ways. Pork is just as delicious prepared with
garlic and mustard as it is with fruits such as apples, prunes,
chestnuts and apricots.
You have probably already heard about Metro’s exclusive Tender
Fork products, beautiful cuts of meat that complement the choices
offered by your Metro butcher.
Tender Fork offers pork hocks with bacon, plain
pork chops, pork chops with
citrus fruit, herbs or tomato and basil, plain pork tenderloins,
Dijon mustard or garlic and pepper tenderloins.These seasonings and
marinades add moisture, flavour and tenderness to these delectable
ready-to-serve cuts.
Did you know that Canada is the fifth
pork-producing country in the world?
Since December 1st, 2003, it is prohibited to use animal starch or
meal in pork feed. To ensure product conformity, Canadian breeders
must show a “supplier’s guaranty” form, which confirms that the
pigs were raised on feed that is totally exempt of animal meal and
bone flour.
The pigs’ diet consists of cereal, corn, barley (and other
sources of energy), soybean, vitamins and minerals.
In farm-breeding, the use of medication is regulated by very strict
government legislation and the use of growth hormones is not
authorized in Quebec and Canada.
To better meet consumer demands, Quebec pig farmers created the
‘’Quebec Quality Assurance Program”. This quality-control program
provides the means to intervene in an integrated fashion in every
step of the production process and has four sections: dietary
wholesomeness, product quality, respect of the environment and the
well-being of the animals, and traceability mechanism.