Americans love all things bacon. Nothing beats a sizzling slice of bacon alongside a plate of eggs in the morning. But Americans aren’t limiting themselves to the traditional when it comes to their favorite meat treat. Bacon continues to find itself on the ingredient list of countless products.
In fact, according to Chicago-based Mintel International, the number of food items launched containing bacon as an ingredient doubled from 2012 to 2014.
Bacon has appeared most frequently as an ingredient in new meals and meal centers such as in sandwiches and wraps and pizza. New meat products, snacks, side dishes and soup have also been enhanced by the inclusion of bacon. In addition, there are some new products, under the categories of sauces and seasonings, fruits and vegetables and savory spreads that also contain bacon as an ingredient.
Adding bacon as an ingredient can add premium appeal to new product introductions, according to Mintel. From 2012 to 2014, 12 percent of new meals and meal centers that included bacon carried a premium product claim. In addition, 15 percent of new bacon-inclusive snack products carried a premium claim.
