Your Pork Prayers Have Been Answered: Bacon Prices Are Falling

The choice between money in your wallet and savory, melt-in-your-mouth bacon has just gotten a lot easier, my bacon-loving friends: The pork industry is coming through a recent porcine diarrhea epidemic that slowed down business for awhile, meaning your next bacon fix won’t be quite as costly.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (PDF), via the Huffington Post, prices of pork products are dipping now that hog herds are finally rebounding from the viral epidemic that killed millions of piglets in the last year and caused prices to go up.

“Pork prices are getting cheaper,” Terry Roggensack, co-founder of commodities research firm the Hightower Report, told HuffPo’s Alexander C. Kaufman. “It’s a positive.”

He adds that it’s not just the relief from the diarrhea virus that’s making things less expensive, but we’re not exporting as much to Russia, while the amount of hogs slaughtered rose 4.6% last week from the same period last year. And when you’ve got to move most of that pork sooner rather than later, cutting prices helps make it move.

“For the most part, you’ve got to use it within a month or so of when it’s produced,” Roggensack said. “The domestic market needs to absorb an even bigger supply than it normally would.”

Our mission is clear. Go forth and consume bacon. Someone has to do it.

Bacon Prices Are Falling [Huffington Post]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.