Compare pork & bacon

Research · Pork & bacon

What our research found about pork & bacon

Fresh pork has a one-ingredient label, but bacon, ham and sausage are cured or seasoned. Cured pork contains salt and a nitrite source, and “uncured” versions use a natural source such as celery powder; the processed-meat classification from the World Health Organization’s cancer agency applies to cured and smoked products. Sodium and added sugar (often maple or brown sugar) are the main label differences between bacon and sausage brands.

On pork, “no hormones added” is not a meaningful differentiator: USDA’s labeling rules say hormones are not allowed in raising hogs, so the claim can only appear with a statement that federal regulations prohibit hormones. Heritage breed, pasture-raised and organic claims describe how the pigs were raised and should be checked against a certifier or producer source.

Products

324 brands

Full labels recorded

1959% of the shelf

Maker says organic

0maker’s claim

List an added sweetener

5of 19 labels

List a seed oil

0of 19 labels

Typical label length

4ingredients (median)

Counts use complete, current ingredient labels only. Records without a published label stay unknown and are never counted as clean.

What to compare

• Cure and sugar. Check for nitrite sources and added sugars in bacon and ham.
• Sodium. Cured pork is salty; compare per serving.
• Hormone claims. Hormones are prohibited in hog production, so this claim does not distinguish brands.
• Pasture-raised and organic. Look for a certifier or detailed producer standards.

References

1. Meat and poultry labeling terms USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
2. Cancer: carcinogenicity of red meat and processed meat consumption World Health Organization
3. Certified Humane animal-care standards Certified Humane
4. Organic labeling and what the USDA Organic seal means USDA Agricultural Marketing Service