The Quick Way To Check Your Bacon's Fat Content Before Buying

Despite the various health food crazes that have captured society's attention over recent years, it appears that bacon is here to stay. In that case, be sure you know how to check the bacon fat quickly. After all, this greasy, crispy, fatty food borders on a culinary obsession for most people.

When you stop to ponder the best part of bacon, most people would agree that the fat is what makes it so delicious. Fortunately, there's a very easy and direct way to check how much fat bacon has: look at the back of the pack. For all the health problems associated with it, fat imbues food with a delectable flavor and texture that allows many people to file away the potential health effects in the back of their minds. However, bacon must also be properly balanced. Not enough fat and bacon can turn out bland. Conversely, too much fat can ruin the crispy texture and lead to mushiness. Checking out the back "bacon window" can help you decide whether a pack has the fat content you're looking for. 

Bacon manufacturers want to present the best possible product to customers. As a result, the front of bacon packs typically features carefully arranged slices to illustrate the perfect balance between the meatiness and fattiness of the bacon. Individual slices are stacked one on top of the other to create an aesthetically appealing product that practically calls your name from across the grocery store.

Keep in mind that bacon packaging, like many other great things in life, is often a lie. Just turn the back over to see what you're really getting. In many cases, you'll realize the carefully arranged bacon in the front was all for show. The back tells the true story of how much fat content the bacon has, and you may be shocked to see large strips of white that were conspicuously absent on the front of the package. This is how bacon manufacturers make their products look better than they actually are. While it's not always the case, it does help to know how to determine whether a package is worth selecting. And if you're impressed by this neat little trick, you have the federal government to thank for it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has the very important duty of regulating all meat products in this country, including bacon. In 1973, the USDA enacted a rule that said all bacon packaging must have a "transparent window" to provide consumers with an accurate perspective of the bacon they were about to buy. According to federal law, this window must show "at least 70% of the length (longest dimension) of the representative slice." Additionally, the bacon window must be one to one and a half inches wide to meet federal standards.

While it's clear that the USDA had the best interests of consumers in mind when this law was enacted, there isn't much evidence that people truly care about the meat to fat ratio of bacon. After all, no one is eating bacon because it's good for them. Much like other indulgences, such as alcoholic beverages, sweets, and processed foods, people consume bacon at their peril. However, being bad has never been so delicious if you ask the average bacon lover.