Bord Bia bids to put pork on menu
Catering students have been the particular focus of the effort to increase the awareness of pork as a tasty and nutritious dish in hotels and restaurants.
Bord Bia has also undertaken a promotional pork and bacon product campaign, which will run for two months. It includes in-store tasting and merchandising.
Chief executive Aiden Cotter said the variety of pork cuts available to chefs is wider than many realise.
A competition co-ordinated by Bord Bia, the Panel of Chefs of Ireland, the IAPP (Dawn Pork and Bacon and Glanbia) and the IFA was also aimed at educating students on the versatility and variety of Irish pork cuts.
A student from Piltown, Co Kilkenny, who is attending Cork Institute of Technology, won the overall award at the final in Athlone.
Mairéad Knox was presented with a €1,000 cash prize, a trophy and €2,000 sponsorship for a project, thesis or placement to be carried out as part of her college course.
She was one of almost 400 students from IT colleges nationwide involved in training days as part of the competition.
These included a representation on Bord Bia’s pigmeat quality assurance scheme, an overview of the pigmeat industry, a cookery demonstration and a presentation on nutrition.
Catering students from eight IT colleges participated in the final, during which they cooked their chosen pork dish.
Food Minister Brendan Smith, who presented the prizes, said pork adapts extremely well to today’s needs for speed and convenience and is also a great value option. With rigid quality assurance measures in place at producer and processor levels, consumers are assured of the highest standard of product.
Cian Mulholland, Furbo, Co Galway (Galway-Mayo IT) was awarded second prize and received a €400 cash prize, a silver medal and a certificate.
