MEAT+POULTRY - October 2024 - 16

THE BACON REPORT
innovation
Inviting
P
rocessors are turning pork bellies into
palettes for creating new flavors that
attract consumers seeking easy
to prepare and convenient meal
solutions that also taste great.
Innovations in bacon flavors
have launched onto the market
steadily throughout 2024: the
Hormel Black Label brand released
Garlic Rosemary, a new flavor of its
premium bacon aimed at millennial and
Gen Z consumers who are driving demand for
exciting and sophisticated flavors.
The brand also partnered with General
Mills' Cinnamon Toast Crunch on a
limited-edition thick cut bacon that is
hand-rubbed with Cinnadust seasoning
on a thick-cut bacon held overnight for
optimal flavor.
Wright Brand, a part of the Tyson Foods
portfolio of brands, added the Sweet & Smoky
Kentucky Bourbon Bacon. The new product
launch was facilitated by Tyson Foods' new
$355 million food production facility that
opened in Bowling Green, Ky., in January to
support significant expansion of the company's
bacon production capacity.
" Swicy " - that combination of sweet and
spicy - has come for bacon with the release
of Daily's Premium Meats' Hot Honey and
Spicy Maple flavored thick-cut bacon.
" We've seen incredible excitement around
sweet and spicy flavor profiles recently, " said
Eric Hamilton, director of product innovation
for Daily's Premium Meats. " We worked closely
with our research team members to monitor,
track and ultimately pick flavors, such as Hot
Honey and Spicy Maple, that will resonate
with consumers who are looking for more bold
flavors that make mealtimes memorable. "
A newcomer to pork bacon, Godshall's
launched its first branded pork bacon product,
16 MEAT+POULTRY | 10.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
" While
inflation
cools,
category
performance
is expected
to grow
more slowly:
as food
and drink
budgets
loosen and
consumers
re-engage
with eating
out. "
- MINTEL
New flavors at
different price points
keep bacon on
consumers' plates in
inflationary times
BY ERICA SHAFFER
eshaf fer@sos land.com
a Hickory Smoked Uncured Pork Bacon.
Godshall's is currently the market leader
in beef bacon and America's thirdlargest
turkey bacon brand, according to
the company.
SLOW GROWING
According to the 2024 Power of Meat report,
bacon was the only subcategory of processed
meat with pound gains. Circana reported
bacon sales of $6.6 billion in 2023, a decline
of 7.8% compared to 2022. However, volume
sales during 2023 totaled 1.1 billion lbs, a 0.6%
increase over volume sales reported in 2022.
Consumers remain concerned about food
prices. Although, in " Bacon and Lunchmeat -
US - 2023, " Kamari Davis, research analyst,
food and drink at Mintel, said higher prices
didn't deter consumers from buying bacon -
or seeking opportunities to upgrade.
" More than six in 10 category participants
report no change in category consumption,
demonstrating that the impact of elevated
prices was limited in both directions; as
consumers cut back to economize and also
downgraded to offset higher prices elsewhere, "
the report said.
Bacon ticks a lot of boxes for consumers
seeking flavorful, easy to prepare and
convenient meal solutions. That's why, despite
shifts in availability and prices, consumers
continue to rely on bacon as an affordable and
versatile protein in the face of negative news
about the healthfulness of bacon and other
processed meats.
pioneer111 - stock.adobe.com
http://www.land.com http://www.meatpoultry.com
MEAT+POULTRY - October 2024

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