PIC, a global leader in swine genetics and pork quality, proudly announces a significant milestone as its PIC® Pork Quality Compass™ program now includes 50 processing plants worldwide. This achievement underscores PIC’s unwavering commitment to driving excellence in pork quality through objective, data-driven benchmarking.
Since its inception in 2020, the Compass Program has been a pioneering solution in addressing the pork industry’s need for consistent, non-biased data regarding pork quality performance. PIC remains dedicated to helping the industry achieve higher standards of pork quality by delivering insights into critical factors such as animal handling, transportation, and carcass chilling that can impact quality at the plant level.
“Our expansion to 50 plants is a testament to PIC’s commitment to improving pork quality worldwide,” said Brandon Fields, applied meat science director at PIC. “We are deeply invested in ensuring that our customers have the tools and data they need to consistently produce superior pork that meets the highest market standards. The Compass Program helps plants identify areas for improvement, ultimately elevating the entire pork supply chain.”
The program now spans 11 countries across four key geographic regions:
- North America (USA and Canada): 19 plants
- Latin America (incl. Mexico): 18 plants
- Europe: 12 plants
- Other regions: 1 plant
The Compass Program offers a standardized method to assess five key pork quality attributes: post-mortem chilling rates, pH levels, color, firmness and texture. These factors are critical for both consumer satisfaction and meat processing, allowing participating plants to measure and identify actionable steps to produce high-quality pork.
What participants are saying
“The PIC Compass program is an industry-changing benchmark, which has allowed us to identify areas of opportunity to improve slaughter, cooling and many other strategies within our operation. The PIC Compass program sets pork quality standards for us to strive to achieve and exceed while producing high-quality pork on a global level.”
-South America Participant
“In our opinion, PIC Compass has turned out to be a complementary and robust tool for evaluating the quality of our products. The measurements are made with great professionalism and precision, offering reliable information for an objective evaluation. PIC Compass has allowed us to identify opportunities and adjust to continue improving the high quality that characterizes our pork.”
-Latin America Participant
“We appreciate being part of the PIC Compass program. This is a unique opportunity to receive third-party feedback on where our meat quality stands compared to the competition. We have consistently received positive feedback from our customers and are continually conducting internal evaluations and improvements. However, the ability to benchmark our quality against global standards using objective parameters is invaluable as the professionalism of PIC team.”
-North America Participant
Commitment to continuous improvement
As part of its ongoing commitment to customer success, PIC ensures all plant-specific data is treated with strict confidentiality. Reports are anonymized so that each plant can only view its own results, fostering a secure environment for improvement and competitiveness. This empowers companies to make data-driven decisions that enhance their processes and meet evolving market demands and consumer preferences.
PIC has always prioritized pork quality as a core pillar of its mission, continually investing in research, genetic innovations and global programs like the Compass Program to provide independent references for quality improvement. The program not only supports competitive benchmarking but also delivers actionable insights for plants looking to refine their operational practices and meet the highest standards of pork production.
Looking Ahead
PIC remains committed to helping more plants worldwide elevate their quality standards through the Pork Quality Compass program. By pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in pork quality, PIC aims to set new benchmarks for the industry.
To learn more about the Compass Program, visit pork quality tools or contact PIC at AppliedMeats@genusplc.com
