Bacon is everywhere. From topping Bloody Marys to wrapping up a Thanksgiving turkey, bacon has come a long way from its crispy breakfast beginnings.

In fact, while it remains a breakfast basic, bacon has also become a major player at lunch and dinner as a featured ingredient in recipes, burgers, sandwiches, even snacks and charcuterie boards.

Patrick Fleming, new business development manager at Midan Marketing, said that wherever and whenever consumers get together, bacon is there to meet their needs and add the extra flavor they crave to their favorite dishes.

Recent years have seen an increase in different flavors out in the market, such as Maple Bacon and Jalapeno, and different smokes that can work across multitudes of recipes and eating occasions.

“Flavor has become a real purchase driver and as prices moderate, bacon producers are responding to consumer preferences such as smaller batches with greater levels of flavor. New flavor profiles including pepper bacon and sweet bacon with honey and brown sugar; and a wider selection of unique smoked varieties such as applewood and hickory hardwood-smoked bacon,” Fleming said.

J.D. Enrici, vice president, sales and marketing at Coleman Natural Foods, noted that while inflation continues to drive changes in consumer behavior, which has impacts across categories including bacon, in some ways, these shifts provide benefits as familiar, versatile cuts like bacon bring protein variety to the plate.

“Interest in value-added meat, including heat-and-eat, pre-cut or pre-seasoned meat, has also grown, as people look for time-saving options while planning their meals for the week,” he said. “Other bacon category trends include growing interest in thicker cuts, such as Canadian bacon products, and in new flavors and recipes that also highlight bacon’s versatility.”

The category has been growing and evolving for years, and 2024 isn’t expected to be anything different, as those in the industry expect another strong year ahead.

“We see consumers eating it across all parts of the day, whether traditionally paired with eggs or even eaten as a snack, and consumers are always looking for new ways to enjoy it,” said Gina Gancheva, director of brand management for Applegate. “We expect to see more thick cut bacon in the market as consumers look for a richer, more decadent eating experience, and we also think we’ll see more convenience plays in this space — this would include fully cooked bacon or microwave ready bacon.”

Another trend is more companies on shelf with cleaner labels, offering no antibiotics or no nitrates, as more brands have been joining the movement each year with higher standards and new launches.

Price pressures

Despite people’s love of bacon, as a total category, bacon has seen some declines in the last year, according to Mintel.

Pound sales were up, and dollar pounds were down, due to record-high prices. Last year, the price of bacon soared as pork belly prices and consumer demand spiked due to a lack of availability: this caused consumers to back off on their bacon purchases.

By the midpoint of 2023, bacon prices were down 12.9% and bacon volume was up 3.2%, beating the processed meat trend by more than 5% and growing, according to Circana.

However, as the availability of bacon rose and pricing leveled off to what consumers are willing to pay, retailers have begun promoting it and consumers are responding by purchasing bacon at or above prior levels.

“With grocery prices rising, consumers have become more sensitive and have made choices when it comes to what they want to spend more or less on,” Gancheva said. “During a time when consumers are making those choices, we are excited to see that we can continue to bring consumers back to the brand and committed to making choices in the bacon category that are not only focused on a delicious eating experience, but also on bacon that maintains high animal welfare standards.”

Today’s consumers are looking for more variety with 48% saying they are interested in trying new bacon items, according to Mintel.

“Over the last few years, the traditionally thin slices of bacon also have given way to thicker and thicker bacon in a greater variety of flavors,” Fleming said. “Today, it is common to find super-thick varieties such as steak-cut bacon with only four slices in a 12-oz package.”

Datassential’s MenuTrends 2023 report revealed that 80% of consumers report liking or loving bacon, so it remains an all-time favorite food.

“Ounce per ounce, bacon provides more craveable, reliable flavor than any other meat condiment,” Fleming said. “It dramatically upgrades the flavor of a chicken breast, sandwich, hamburger or steak and also stands out as a standalone food.”

What’s new?

Apple cider is another flavor that continues to gain popularity, which led the Hormel Black Label bacon brand to launch its Apple Cider Bacon product this past fall.

“Datassential’s fall trends report identified apple as a top 10 seasonal flavor around the globe and Technomic’s menu adoption cycle also reveals that apple cider is in the early adoption phase, indicating that apple cider is currently trending in restaurants and specialty grocers throughout the country,” said Aly Sill, senior brand manager for the Hormel Black Label bacon brand.

Applegate looked into the convenience space and decided to launch its first ever Fully Cooked Bacon in February 2024.

“We have taken our top selling SKU, Applegate Naturals Sunday Bacon, and made it convenient and always accessible,” Gancheva said. “We plan to follow up this launch with an expansion of the Fully Cooked lineup over the next few years with items like Fully Cooked Turkey Bacon and Chopped Bacon Pieces, all humanely raised and 100% natural.”

Enrici has continued to see growth in demand for Coleman Natural Food’s uncured bacon products, such as Hickory and Applewood-Smoked Bacon, and the company is looking to further expand its bacon portfolio in the year ahead with new products that meet increased consumer interest in global cuisines, new cooking methods and recipes driven by social platforms like Instagram. “Smoked, spicy and even ‘swicy’ flavors that provide a sweet heat are growing in popularity along with other flavor trends, including seasonal offerings,” he said. “Earlier this year, we even created a popular recipe for Pumpkin Spice Candied Bacon featuring Coleman’s Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon. It was a fun way to give consumers a new way to add a big pop of ‘wow’ to their fall brunches.”

New appliances and cooking methods are also driving changes in the bacon category. For instance, the popularity of air fryers has given consumers a new way to prepare bacon that is faster than using a conventional oven but still results in perfectly crispy slices of bacon. In fact, according to Google Trends, “air fry bacon” is a recent breakout search trend.

Making the sales

Price remains the primary barrier to consumers purchasing and consuming more bacon. Fleming said that because of the price issue, consumers need constant reminders of their passion for bacon to overcome objections and give them permission to buy.

“Offering promotions is a great way to get consumers to interact with the category more frequently,” he said. “You can also keep bacon top of mind through in-store displays, point-of-sale materials and commercials that promote the value, flavor, flexibility and variety of bacon and encourage consumers’ impulses to indulge their love of bacon to reward you with greater sales.”

The growing consumer interest in humane animal care and transparency offers stores and suppliers a great opportunity for storytelling in marketing, Enrici said.

“People are interested in where their food comes from and, now more than ever, there is an opportunity for educating consumers on terms like natural, humanely raised, and vegetarian-fed,” he said.

With the category, sharing recipes and suggesting new ways to use bacon are really great ways to engage in marketing in this space.

“The imagery of savory and sweet bacon recipes can be very inspirational to consumers and drive purchase,” Gancheva said. “At Applegate, we connect with retailers to provide imagery and recipes that can be shared online, in circulars or anywhere that is helpful to the consumer.”

Another savvy way to successfully market bacon in store is by sampling. After all, the smell of bacon cooking is enough to get any bacon lover to pick up a package.

“Applegate has long believed that getting consumers to try our clean, delicious products is all it takes to make them fans of the brand,” Gancheva said. “We have talked to so many incredible consumers about this — from the passionate, daily consumer to the foodie who uses bacon in a hundred different ways.

“At the core, they all said the same thing: bacon is an experience. It is delicious, delectable and comforting. For many, it’s reminiscent of home and easy weekend mornings. It evokes emotion and, in the end, bacon is so much more than just food.”