The National Pork Board found that 82 million Americans has identified a portion of the American public that loves pork so much, it has deemed them “Pork Champions” — men and women who it says are “medium to heavy fresh pork eaters with a strong passion for pork that they are eager to share.”

Here’s what the Pork Board says about that segment of the U.S. population:

• Represents approximately 28 percent of U.S. households but accounts for roughly 68 percent of all in-home fresh pork consumption and 50 percent of all away-from-home fresh pork consumption.
• Enjoys cooking and experimenting with new flavors in the kitchen, understands how to cook pork, and in general looks at life with a positive outlook.

We’re not sure why it works this way, but we have to admit that we generally look at life a lot more positively when there’s bacon on our plates. So maybe the Pork Board is onto something.