Bacon has become something of a cult food item in the United States over the past few years, and food labels might need to change to reflect this. Although a survey from Zagat recently found the savory meat staple to have passed its cultural prime, there are still many buyers and fans out there expressing their appreciation for it. A meat company could seize on this enduring support by taking care to produce quality labels that do their bacon products.
In an article for the Huffington Post, professor Joseph Sebranek referenced some of the different ways that various types of bacon are often distinguished. This includes labels that refer to how the meat was cured, smoked or cut, as well as whether or not it has been processed alongside gluten.
Sebranek cites some cases where the specific terminology on the label can be misleading. For example, he said that the term “hickory smoked” is usually redundant, since bacon is almost always smoked with hickory.
“Hickory is used more frequently as a smoke source than most other words — it’s fairly conventional,” Sebranek told the Post. “Most of the products, if they’re indicated smoked, but not a specific type of wood, more than likely, it was hickory. Putting ‘hickory’ on there just makes it a little more attractive to people, I guess.” Other types of “smoking” that are often referenced include “Applewood,” “Mesquite” or “Hardwood” smoked.
Despite what some may say, it appears that bacon is going strong, with sales reaching levels around $4 billion, according to a MarketWatch article from last April. This implies that bacon companies can still count on favorable conditions for their products, and need to meet consumer demand with a coordinated approach to creating and printing accurate labels.
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