On select Canadian farms, thousands of pigs bound for Japan are basking in five-star treatment.
Japan's growing appetite for pricey pork cuts is driving Canadian and U.S. fresh pork exports to record levels, spurring producers to leverage every advantage in the race for market share.
While most of the pigs at Canadian meat packer Olymel L.P. gobble pedestrian wheat and barley fare, others dine on rations spiced with mint and ginger on a Saskatchewan farm dedicated to fattening hogs bound for Japan, the world's second-biggest pork importer.