Why Doesn't Bacon Come In Resealable Packaging?

Life comes with a lot of unanswered questions. If you've ever purchased a package of savory bacon from your local grocery store, you've probably asked yourself why it comes in the second-worse packaging style ever (only behind bags of flour). It's almost never resealable, meaning you either have to cook it all in one shot, wrap it awkwardly in plastic wrap, or place the whole package in a giant resealable bag. What gives? Is there a reason for this?

The truth is that if you live in one of those households that doesn't cook an entire package of bacon in one sitting, then you're actually not like most others. At least, that's what one big bacon manufacturer claims. But is that really the only reason why big bacon brands refuse to make our lives any easier? There is at least some speculation that other reasons play a role.

Bacon is often sold in 16-ounce packages, but the actual number of slices varies depending on whether the bacon is thick-cut or standard, as well as its brand. It seems that a typical household consumes all of that in one breakfast, according to Jim Monroe, vice president of Corporate Affairs at bacon brand Smithfield. Speaking to Today, Monroe said that people who live in smaller household of one or two residents don't make up the majority of bacon consumers, which is why the brand doesn't worry as much about resealable packaging. Monroe admitted that Smithfield tested other variations of selling bacon. "We have experimented with smaller packs with fewer slices," he told the outlet. "They weren't very popular."

Gina Gancheva, the director of brand management at Applegate, another big-time bacon brand, essentially agreed. Much of Applegate's bacon is sold in 8-ounce packages, meaning it's even less likely that consumers will have extra. "There isn't really a current need for a resealable feature on our bacon packaging," Gancheva said.

While it hasn't been explicitly said, there could be a few other reasons why bacon isn't resealable. For one, most companies want to keep costs as low as possible. Adding a plastic zipper would mean sourcing extra material for the packaging, which in turn would result in a higher packaging cost for the company. If the company ate that cost, they would profit less per package, and if they raised the cost of bacon to cover the new packaging, people might not want to buy it.

Additionally, we sometimes just get used to certain packages looking a certain way. Canned tuna is the perfect example. It's almost always sold in short, wide tins when most canned goods are sold in taller, narrower ones. But since people are so accustomed to buying it in certain packaging, the history just keeps it that way. It's possible that bacon companies realize people will continue buying their bacon regardless of what its packaging looks like.