Is Pork Considered Red Or White Meat? It’s More Complicated Than It Should Be

Perhaps you already have your heels dug deep in the sand when it comes to eating red or white meat. If you love steak, then you’re not giving up red meat any time soon, and if you’re a fan of lean meat then you probably eat white meat religiously. No matter what side of the ledger you fall on, for some, pork is in that gray area, and somehow stuck in a weird identity crisis.

Most of the confusion is due to decades of marketing, like the slogan “Pork. The Other White Meat.” which famously made its rounds across the nation in the ’90s. However, scientifically, and in some ways counterintuitively, pork is classified as red meat. Again, the confusion stems from industry advertising and the fact that pork has a lighter color when cooked compared to beef or lamb.

Contrary to popular opinion (or exceptionally effective advertising), pork belongs in the red meat category because it comes from a mammal and contains higher levels of myoglobin, the protein responsible for giving meat its red color. However, because pork is naturally leaner than traditional red meats and lacks the deep red hue of beef, it’s been marketed in a way that distances it from other red meats. So, while it may cook up pale like poultry, pork still sits firmly in the red meat category.

Diving a little deeper into the history, the idea that pork is white meat was a deliberate marketing move by the National Pork Board in the 1980s. At the time, health-conscious consumers were beginning to turn away from red meat due to concerns over fat and cholesterol. In an effort to reposition pork as a healthier option, the industry launched the now-famous campaign: “Pork. The Other White Meat.” The goal was to align pork with poultry rather than beef, making it more appealing to those looking for leaner protein sources.

And it worked. For years, many consumers thought of pork as a leaner alternative to beef and a close cousin to chicken or turkey. While it’s true that some cuts of pork, like tenderloin, can be relatively low in fat, pork as a whole still retains the nutritional profile of red meat. It contains similar levels of saturated fat and cholesterol and is metabolized by the body in the same way as beef or lamb.

The confusion also comes from how pork looks once it’s cooked. Unlike beef, which remains dark and rich in color even after cooking, pork lightens significantly, sometimes taking on a pale appearance similar to chicken. This visual aspect reinforced the idea that pork belonged in the white meat category, even though it wasn’t biologically or nutritionally correct.

Despite the successful marketing campaign, science tells a different story. According to the USDA and the culinary world, pork is classified as red meat. It contains less myoglobin than beef or lamb, but still has enough to place it in the red meat category. The term “white meat” is typically reserved for poultry like chicken and turkey, which have lower myoglobin levels and a different muscle structure. Pork doesn’t fit into that category, no matter how light it looks when cooked. 

The debate concludes, and the answer is clear — it’s red meat. With this understanding, some people still avoid pork like the plague, asserting that it’s bad for your health. The jury is still out on that, but the health implications vary from person to person. It has plenty of vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc that are essential for your body. Still, to each his own. Whether you love it for its versatility or avoid it for health reasons, at least now you know the truth behind its complicated classification.