Meat+Poultry - October 2022 - 30

BACON REPORT
Bacon's
creative
appeal
E
" Boasting
22.5% of
all processed
meat dollars,
bacon
sales are a
testament to
the strong
affinity
consumers
have for this
savory slice
of meat. "
Processors and retailers are
expanding bacon's already
dominant presence
BY RACHAEL OATMAN | roatman@sosland.com
ven with inflation on the rise, the love
of bacon will not be stifled. Bacon has
proved itself more than just a passing fad,
withstanding a pandemic and recent economic
pressure with a tenacity like no other protein.
Boasting 22.5% of all processed meat
dollars, bacon sales are a testament to the
strong affinity consumers have for this savory
slice of meat. While bacon sales increased
during the 52-week period ending July 31 by
5.2%, the high levels were driven by inflation,
according to data from IRI. Total sales reached
$6.5 billion this year. In volume sales, bacon's
share of 956 million lbs dipped more than
10% from last year's volume. Losing some
momentum from recent price influxes, bacon
volume is falling behind the pre-pandemic
normal by 11 million lbs.
Bacon promotions are regaining their
footing. Pre-pandemic, over 43% of bacon
dollars were promoted. In 2022, nearly 35%
were promoted, up 4% from a year ago.
Bacon is expanding beyond its traditional
breakfast category as it jumps on board with
some of the latest trends. Meat snacks are a
growing phenomenon in the meat industry,
and bacon is following the lead. New bacon
snack innovations are forming, like
Hamilton, Texas-based Pederson Farms'
bacon snack stick.
Along with meat snack innovations, makers
are experimenting with limited-time craft
bacons as special seasonal offers. Catering to
the growing number of spicy-foods enthusiasts,
innovative processors are trying out different
levels of heat and altering barbecue favorites,
such as the double-smoked bacon by Kayem
Foods, Chelsea, Mass. Other companies,
including ingredient companies like Everson
Spice have run the opposite direction,
experimenting with flavor-infused sugars that
can be added to bacon - both by the meat
department and by consumers themselves.
According to Anne-Marie Roerink, principal
at San Antonio, Texas-based 210 Analytics LLC,
craft bacon isn't confined to LTOs anymore;
retailers are adding them to their full-service
meat cases. Traveling to retailers across the
United States and Europe as part of the annual
Power of Meat study, Roerink noted that
unique bacon products are becoming more of a
common feature in meat cases.
In foodservice, too, bacon is expanding.
According to Technomic's Ignite menu data,
menu mentions of bacon have increased by
1.4% in the past year, and currently 54.3% of
foodservice operators offer bacon. Like the
cost of anything today, the average menu price
of bacon is up from last year. A typical bacon
side dish costs $4.23, up 1.9%.
Don't expect bacon to fizzle out any time
soon. This past year has shown that the bacon
craze is here to stay.
30 MEAT+POULTRY | 10.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
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Meat+Poultry - October 2022

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