Pork is the meat from hogs. People throughout the world eat more pork than any other kind of meat. Worldwide, an average of 35 pounds (16 kilograms) of pork per person is eaten each year. In the United States, pork ranks third in popularity, behind chicken and beef. Americans eat an average of 62 pounds (28 kilograms) of pork per person annually
Pork is sold to consumers as fresh meat or in the form of processed meats. Processed meats are cured (treated) with a solution of salt and sometimes with a chemical called sodium nitrite. Many processed meats are smoked, baked, or dried. Curing and smoking give these meats a special flavor and help keep them from spoiling quickly or losing their color. The chief processed meats produced from pork are bacon, ham, and sausage. Fresh cuts of pork include pork chops, roasts, and spare ribs.
Pork contains many nutrients (nourishing substances) needed by the human body. It is an excellent source of vitamins, especially thiamine (vitamin B-1). The protein in pork provides the amino acids needed to build and maintain body tissue (see Amino acid). Pork also contains such essential minerals as copper, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Pork fat is a good source of energy and of certain fatty acids the body cannot produce (see Fat).
Fresh pork may contain the larvae (young) of a type of microscopic worm called trichina. A person who eats live trichina larvae may develop a disease called trichinosis. Freezing or thoroughly cooking fresh pork kills any trichina larvae that the meat may contain. Modern hog-raising techniques have largely eliminated trichina from pork products in the United States and other developed countries.
