America's bacon reserves are at a perilous low

America apparently has a bacon reserve, and it's running low. The Ohio Pork Council revealed in a report released Tuesday that the country's reserve supply of pork belly — the portion of the pig often used to make the breakfast wonder that is bacon — is at its lowest level in 50 years.
As of December 2016, America had a mere 17.8 million pounds of frozen pork belly stockpiled, which, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the smallest inventory the nation has had on hand since 1957. "Today's pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever," said Rich Deaton, president of the nonprofit Ohio Pork Council. "Yet our reserves are depleting."
Americans' appetites aren't entirely to blame for the shortage. Hog farmers export nearly 26 percent of what they make, and officials say there has been an "increased foreign demand," USA Today reported.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Americans are paying the price, literally: In January, pork belly prices increased a whopping 20 percent. Deaton did have one strip of good news for bacon lovers though: "[R]est assured, [the] pork industry will not run out of supply."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
BookTok is reviving publishing – but at what cost?
In The Spotlight Social media recommendations are boosting book sales but critics give the trend mixed reviews
-
Canyons under the Antarctic have deep impacts
Under the radar Submarine canyons could be affecting the climate more than previously thought
-
Codeword: September 5, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year