Pork Belly Prices Sizzle on Growing Demand for Bacon
Bacon is finally getting a bump as Americans add the fatty strips to everything from corn dogs to french fries, boosting demand while inventory shrinks.
Pork bellies, the cut of meat used to make bacon slices, have surged 174 percent since hitting a five-year low in April, according to wholesale prices from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The price reached $1.6968 a pound Friday, a one-year high.
“It’s really demand that’s driving this,” said Ryan Turner, a risk management consultant at FCStone Group in Kansas City, Mo. “People are putting bacon on anything.”
Bacon-centric food items are fueling sales at Wendy’s Co., which added bacon fries, and McDonald’s Corp., with its sausage and bacon breakfast sandwich. Other culinary wonders include the bacon veggie burger.
