Bacon in the Test: How Good is the Quality?

A hearty breakfast often includes toast with bacon and egg. Many like the bacon, also called bacon, freshly fried, hot, and crispy. It is often sold in supermarkets or discount stores cut into strips.

In contrast to ham, bacon is cut from the fat tissue of the pig: streaky bacon (belly bacon) comes from the piece between the ribs and the skin, and fatty bacon, also called fresh bacon, from the back area.

Packaged bacon from the supermarket or discount store is square-cut pieces of belly bacon. They are separated from the bones, salted and smoked.

Cancer: does bacon make you sick?

As early as 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meat such as sausages and red meat as carcinogenic. According to the WHO, processed meat such as bacon belongs to group one of the carcinogenic products and is therefore in the same group as tobacco. Alcohol and red meat are assigned to group two.

However, it is unclear from what quantity the consumption of meat is actually dangerous. The recommended upper limit is 500 grams of meat per week. On average, however, every German eats at least twice as much meat.

Pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid

Nutritionist Dr. Matthias Riedl from Hamburg recommends:

• Anyone who eats a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and plant-based protein can enjoy bacon up to twice a week.
• However, those who suffer from rheumatism, psoriasis, or arthrosis should avoid bacon. The arachidonic acid contained in bacon promotes inflammation in the body.

Bacon in the test: differences in taste

In a sample, Markt compares ready-to-cook pork belly bacon (price per 100 grams):

• Smoked bacon from Aldi’s own brand Sölde for 0.99 euros
• Delicatessen bacon from Lidl’s own brand Delano, also for EUR 0.99
• Tulip pork belly bacon slices for 1.59 euros
• Finely smoked breakfast bacon from Herta for 1.99 euros
• Organic bacon from Rewe’s own organic brand for 2.56 euros

Grilling and tasting the bacon chef David Thiede and grill master Andreas Tschetschorke from Hamburg.

• Taste: The meat experts liked the bacon from Aldi and Rewe Bio best. They found Herta’s bacon too salty and too smoky. All bacon types in the sample appeared fresh in their opinion.
• Weight Loss: Bacon may lose water or fat when grilled. The biggest loss, at almost 59 percent, was with the bacon from Lidl and Herta.