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,” said Patrick Fleming, new business development manager at Midan Marketing. “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 is launching 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,” said Gina Gancheva, director of brand management for Applegate. “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.”

J.D. Enrici, vice president sales and marketing at Coleman Natural Foods, has continued to see growth in demand for the brand'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.

This article is an excerpt from the February 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Bacon feature and more in the digital edition here.