Threat of bacon shortage rises due to increased demand

Not enough piggies are going to market

Ditch the morning bap and save enough for a holiday. (Getty)

First it was Prosecco, then Nutella, then our beloved avocados - yes, it seems like there’s just one shortage of our favourite delicacies after another.

And the latest food to be under threat? Bacon.

Yes, pig farmers are struggling to keep up with our appetite for bacon butties.

Fortunately for Brits partial to a sizzling rasher or two, the shortage is currently only affecting supplies across the pond in the US, where bacon reserves are at their lowest for half a century.

The US Department of Agriculture revealed there has been a 67 per cent year-on-year drop in pork belly inventory levels.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Pork Council revealed that demand for frozen pork belly (which is often made into bacon) is exceeding supply.

“Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Ohio Pork Council President Rich Deaton. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.”

In what has been dubbed the “aporkalypse”, it didn’t take long for #baconshortage to start trending on Twitter as panic spread.

The nation’s love for bacon has pushed up pork belly prices which saw an increase of 20 per cent in January according to the Council.

And it might not just be Americans driving up prices - demand from overseas may be contributing to the shortage, officials have suggested.

However Deaton is adamant that Americans will not have to go without their BLTs, even if they become more expensive: “Rest assured. The pork industry will not run out of supply. Ohio farmers will continue to work hard to ensure consumers receive the products they crave.”

Let’s just pray Britain’s bacon supplies won’t be under threat next.