The Vanishing Bacon Rind: Why It Disappeared From Grocery Stores

Bacon has long been a breakfast staple for many people. Sizzling strips of salty, smoky bacon just seem to make the morning meal complete. However, if you’ve been buying bacon from the grocery store over the past few decades, you may have noticed something missing – the rind.

The crispy rind of fat traditionally lining the edges of bacon strips was once a standard feature. But nowadays, most packaged bacon has had the rind removed, leaving just the lean, meaty portion. When and why did this gradual disappearance of the bacon rind occur? Let’s take a look back and explore the history behind the vanishing rind.

What is Bacon Rind?

First, a quick primer on what exactly bacon rind is Bacon begins its life as slabs of pork belly – the fatty, boneless cut from the underside of a pig This fatty flesh is cured, smoked, and sliced to make bacon.

The rind refers to the outermost layer of the pork belly. It’s essentially just the pig’s skin, as that is where bacon is sourced from. It’s comprised of fat, collagen, and connective tissue. During smoking and curing, the rind takes on a deep mahogany color.

When the pork belly is sliced into strips for packaging traditionally the rind would be left intact on the edges. The result was strips of lean, pink bacon bookended by little bands of darkened chewy rind.

The Crispy, Crunchy Appeal of Rind-On Bacon

Up until around the 1980s, most grocery store bacon included the rind. Consumers seemed to enjoy those crispy bits of rind and even considered it the best part. The texture and flavor provided by the rind gave bacon an extra element that balanced the soft, fatty meat.

Cooking the rind resulted in little crunchy, porky bits that added textural contrast and a concentrated hit of smoked pork essence. Leaving it on meant no waste – the whole slab got used. Rind-on bacon provided a rustic, old-fashioned feel as well. Visually, it just looked like classic breakfast bacon.

So if shoppers enjoyed the tasty rind so much, why did it slowly fade from existence in supermarkets?

Changing Tastes and the Rise of Rindless Bacon

It turns out that while some people relished the rind, many others did not. As consumer opinions shifted, more and more buyers expressed a distaste for the chewy, cartilaginous texture of bacon rind. Many found it unappealing and difficult to bite through. This mounting dislike for the rind caused demand to drop.

In the name of mass appeal, bacon producers responded by removing the rind before slicing and packaging their product. This allowed them to appeal to the widest range of bacon enthusiasts.

The food trends of the 1980s and ’90s accelerated this shift away from rind-on bacon. As low fat and lean protein diets grew popular, consumers viewed the fatty rind as unnecessary. Its calorie and cholesterol count didn’t align with the health-conscious ethos. Shoppers just wanted the lean, meaty portion of bacon.

Modern tastes prioritized consistency and uniformity as well. The unpredictable chewing experience of rind was seen as inconsistent or undesirable. Folks increasingly expected their foods to offer convenience, reliability, and a standard experience with each bite.

Over time, thick-cut, rindless bacon checked all these boxes for consumers. It offered controlled fat content, tender texture, and consistent slices. As sales of rindless bacon now dwarfed rind-on, producers had no reason to bother including the rind anymore.

The Challenges of Production and Storage

On the supplier side, preparing rind-on bacon brought additional work as well. Leaving the rind attached meant the pork belly needed more time and care during curing and smoking to properly treat the rind. This drove up costs compared to making rindless bacon.

Since the rind doesn’t cure as uniformly as the meat, it also posed challenges for safe storage. The fatty rind is more prone to spoilage and rancidity. Its uneven moisture levels and curing made consistent packaging and shelflife difficult. Removing it streamlined the process.

For all these reasons, rindless bacon improved efficiency and safety while better aligning with consumer preferences. The extra work to include the unpopular rind simply didn’t make business sense anymore.

The Rare Resurgence of Artisanal Rind-On Bacon

While large commercial packers switched completely over to rindless bacon, some small specialty producers still offer rind-on bacon for those feeling nostalgic. These heritage-breed bacons focus on traditional slow curing and smoking methods that coax the most flavor out of the rind.

Many of these specialty bacons come from pastured pigs, which develops fuller fat flavors. The rise of the artisanal food movement has created a niche market seeking out these retro touches. There’s even “rind-on pork belly” now marketed for home cooks wanting to DIY their bacon creations.

For most though, seeing that familiar rind on store-bought bacon remains a rarity. Its near-disappearance from the shelves illustrates how consumer habits and opinions can dramatically reshape a product over time. While you’re unlikely to find much rind-on bacon in major supermarkets, for some die-hard bacon lovers, the cherished rind lives on.

A Closer Look at the Vanishing Bacon Rind in the UK

The gradual shift from rind-on to rindless bacon in the second half of the 20th century occurred on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, the same factors were at play in the disappearance of the bacon rind.

Up through the 1970s, most British bacon included the rind. Traditional British cuts like back bacon, streaky bacon, and middle bacon more commonly had the rind left on when sliced. As techniques modernized in the ’80s and changing nutrition awareness took hold, tastes shifted toward uniformly lean, rindless bacon.

Some key moments in the vanishing bacon rind in the UK timeline:

• 1970s – Most bacon has rind on still, considered normal. Back bacon especially associated with rind.

• Early 1980s – Rindless bacon emerges as consumers start desiring leaner, more uniform look.

• Mid/Late 1980s – As healthconscious trends rise, rind increasingly seen as unnecessary fat/calories.

• 1990s – Most major brands switched to rindless. Rind-on bacon rare sight except at traditional butcher shops.

• 2000s – Nearly all shop bacon now sold rindless. Expectation of what bacon “should” look like has fully changed.

While you can still find some specialty rind-on bacon at traditional UK butchers, it is now the exception, not the norm. The standard supermarket bacon rasher has parted ways with the rind of its predecessors.

Health Concerns Around Bacon Rind

In addition to changing tastes, growing health concerns around excessive fat, cholesterol, and sodium intake helped nudge bacon away from the rind. Here’s a look at some of those concerns:

• High in fat – Roughly 50% of bacon rind is fat, mostly saturated. Too much may raise bad cholesterol.

• High in calories – All that fat packs on calories. 2 slices rind-on can add up to over 150 calories.

• High in sodium – The salt and sodium levels used to cure rind raises blood pressure risk.

• Potential carcinogens – Smoking and curing processes can produce small amounts of carcinogenic compounds.

While most studies focus on the fat content rather than rind specifically, the rind concentrates much of the fat and sodium compared to the lean meat. For those monitoring their health, lopping off the rind cut some of the worst offenders.

However, eaten in moderation, bacon rind likely poses little serious health risk for most. Many still enjoy its texture and flavor profile responsibly as part of a balanced diet. But mainstream ideas around nutrition definitely contributed to ushering the rind out the door.

Where to Find Rind-On Bacon Today

For those hungry for a taste of nostalgia, rind-on bacon can still be found in some specialty places. Here are a few options to track down that coveted crunch:

• Butcher shops – Ask your local butcher if they can source or slice bacon with the rind on. Many traditional butchers work with whole pork bellies.

• Farmers markets – Look for artisanal bacon makers selling heritage breed bacon with the rind intact.

• Online mail order – Some bacon purveyors online specialize in rind-on bacon shipped nationwide.

• Specialty grocers – Occasionally small upscale grocers may carry an artisanal rind-on bacon variety.

• International aisles – Check for imported European brands that may keep the rind tradition alive.

• Make your own – Buy pork belly and cure/smoke it yourself for total control over the final result.

With some searching, nostalgic bacon fans can still get their rind fix and enjoy this tasty bit of the past. For the majority though, the days of rind-on grocery store bacon have likely passed. But perhaps as food trends cycle, the pendulum could someday swing back towards a revival of this forgotten favorite.