At a press conference, Deputy Agriculture Minister John Rheineck stressed that pork is safe and healthy and that people should evaluate the possibilities of increasing consumption to raise the quality of their food.

Mr Rheineck said the partnership between the public and private sectors will raise the consumption of pork in Peru, which at present, barely reaches 4.5 kilos per capita per year.

He said the goal is to increase consumption to 12 kilos per person annually.

In South America, 12 kilos and in the United States, 30 kilos of pork are consumed per year on an average, while in Asia, it is the main source of protein with consumption reaching 70 kilos per annum.

Ana Maria Trelles, general manager of APP, said that the food festival will be attended by about 40 restaurants from Lima and they will be presenting some of their best pork dishes.