Pork has outpaced the competition in tonnage growth compared to performance a year ago, according to FreshLook, a retail scanner data report analysis for the first six months of 2006.

“Retailers have been very active in featuring pork, and they’re focusing on more than the traditional bone-in pork chop,” says Karen Boillot, director of retail marketing for the National Pork Board. “They’re also promoting boneless pork products, tenderloins and more.”

The data show that fresh pork tonnage is up 6% vs. a year ago, compared to beef (up 3%) and chicken (up 4%). Pork has also topped chicken in dollar sales growth.

“The Pork Checkoff has worked very hard to become a valued partner with retailers across the country, and efforts ranging from our ‘Don’t be Blah’ kick off to our seasonal promotions are making a difference,” says Boillot.