oh no, bacon

[r_ciao]

So says the WSJ today:

Prices for fresh pork bellies, from which bacon is made, are at an all-time high of $1.35 a pound, 53% higher than they were a year ago.

Chef John Besh prepares pork belly and crawfish salad in his New Orleans restaurant, August. Pork-belly prices are at a record.
.Bacon demand tends to peak during the summer, when supermarkets heavily promote the meat productâ€"sliced from the fatty part of a pig's abdomenâ€"to coincide with a seasonal bump in Americans' consumption of BLTs: bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.

The decision by North American swine producers to cut their losses by trimming their herds back in 2008 and 2009 is now feeding into cost pressures faced by supermarkets. Hog farmers were hemorrhaging money on a combination of factors, including high feed prices, a fall in global demand in the wake of the recession and panic surrounding the H1N1 influenza virus, which initially had been dubbed "swine flu."

"We are seeing a price increase for bacon," said Jim Kenny, an analyst at Urner Barry's Yellow Sheet, a livestock and poultry research firm. "The question is how much will retailers be able to pass along to consumers."

.Closely held supermarket chain Wegmans Food Markets is holding its bacon prices steady, with one-pound packages of its Wegmans-brand regular, sliced bacon selling at $4.29 in New York as of Friday.

"We try to hold our prices as long as possible," said Wegmans spokeswoman Jeanne Colleluori. "Ideally, what you hope is that you can hold the prices until the market comes back down again." The squeeze on pigs, however, is expected to continue.

Hogs available for slaughter in August through early September are forecast to be 5.4% lower, according to the USDA. Some analysts expect pigs to be even scarcer.

Kevin Bost, president of advisory firm Procurement Strategies, forecasts that hog slaughters in August will be 7% lower on average at 2.040 million head a week. Not only are there fewer live hogs, stockpiles of frozen pork bellies were at a record low for the end of June, at 35.4 million pounds.

"Frozen belly supplies must be rationed rather tightly over the next two months," said Mr. Bost, who previously worked as a buyer and risk-manager for Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. "If fresh belly production is tight as well, then the 'cap is off' of the belly market between now and the end of August."

Bacon sales have sizzled in recent years thanks to increased use by restaurants, which have been sprinkling it in salads and stuffing it in sandwiches and hamburgers.

The Wendy's chain of fast-food restaurants is in the midst of a transition to higher-end bacon, which it has made a major part of its "You know when it's real" marketing campaign. This new "Applewood Smoked" bacon is cooked fresh in restaurants rather than nuked in the microwave like the previous version being phased out in August.

So now you know.  Ciao!

[cyrus buelton]

That's great news for the Pork Industry.

I remember a few years ago when Pork was less than 50 cents a pound on the market and the government started subsidizing the farmers.

[The Bacon Junkie]

That's great news for the Pork Industry.

...and terrible news for me.   

[Randimus Maximus]

...and terrible news for me.   

Did people quit smoking when the price of cigs went up?

You'll find a way.

[cyrus buelton]

Did people quit smoking when the price of cigs went up?

You'll find a way.

Just like smoking...........bacon is a known carcinogen.

[The Bacon Junkie]

Did people quit smoking when the price of cigs went up?

You'll find a way.

I'm poor.   

[The Bacon Junkie]

WAIT!!!

Just remembered.. The cafe at work serves breakfast. there's always bacon, and the employee meal deal is CHEAP!  Whoo HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!    [moto]

[Randimus Maximus]

WAIT!!!

Just remembered.. The cafe at work serves breakfast. there's always bacon, and the employee meal deal is CHEAP!  Whoo HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!    [moto]

See.  Just like I told you. 

[NoisyDante]

Darth Vader NO!



I just wanted to post that video.  I'll make the necessary sacrifices to keep bacon around at all times.

[The Bacon Junkie]

See.  Just like I told you. 

[Monsterlover]

[r_ciao]

Just like smoking...........bacon is a known carcinogen.

...only when you cook it.   

[He Man]

i dont like bacon because

a) there is never enough of it in anything you eat. especially bacon cheese burgers. there should be more bacon than cheese.

b) its never salty enough

c) all the flavor gets cooked away and i wish they grilled the burger in bacon fat.

other then that bacon is awesome.

[The Bacon Junkie]

[cyrus buelton]

...only when you cook it.