Where Is Oscar Mayer Bacon Made? The Key Facts

Bacon is a beloved breakfast staple that has become a cultural phenomenon in recent years. And when it comes to bacon, Oscar Mayer is a name that immediately comes to mind.

But have you ever wondered where this delicious bacon is made?

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the production and distribution of Oscar Mayer bacon, including a recent expansion that has brought jobs and economic growth to a small Ohio town.

So grab a slice of bacon and read on to learn more about this iconic American brand.

Where Is Oscar Mayer Bacon Made?

Oscar Mayer is a subsidiary of the Kraft Heinz Company and is based in Chicago, Illinois. However, the production and distribution of Oscar Mayer bacon takes place in various locations across the United States.

One of the main locations for Oscar Mayer bacon production is the Coshocton plant in Ohio. In 2015, Kraft Foods Group announced an expansion of the Coshocton plant, which involved an investment of about $43 million in construction, machinery, and equipment costs. This expansion essentially doubled the facility’s size and workforce, adding about 300 jobs and generating about $8.7 million in payroll for the area.

The Coshocton plant now has five lines producing and distributing about two-thirds of Oscar Mayer’s 10 varieties of bacon. The expansion was made possible through incentive packages offered by JobsOhio, the city of Coshocton, and the Coshocton Port Authority.

Another location for Oscar Mayer bacon production was in Kirksville, Missouri. However, in 2015, Kraft Foods Group announced that its bacon production would be phased out by the end of that year as part of a consolidation effort to build manufacturing scale and lower overhead and total production cost.

The History Of Oscar Mayer Bacon

Oscar Mayer has a long and rich history of producing high-quality bacon. In fact, the company was the first to slice and package bacon for retail sales in 1924. This was a major innovation at the time, as it allowed consumers to purchase bacon in a convenient and easy-to-use form.

Over the next few decades, Oscar Mayer continued to be a leader in the bacon industry. The company promoted the use of the package “back window” in 1973 so that customers could see the quality of the meat. This was another significant innovation, as it gave consumers greater confidence in the product they were purchasing.

The bacon itself comes from pig bellies, which are a mix of lean and fat. The process of making bacon involves several phases, including curing, brining, sugaring, smoking in real hardwood, and ultimately packing. Oscar Mayer takes great care to ensure that each step of this process is done correctly, resulting in a delicious and high-quality product.

Today, Oscar Mayer continues to be a leader in the bacon industry. The company’s bacon manufacturing facility is located in Coshocton, Ohio, where it produces about two-thirds of its 10 varieties of bacon. The facility underwent a major expansion in 2015, which doubled its size and added about 300 jobs to the area.

Production Process Of Oscar Mayer Bacon

The production process of Oscar Mayer bacon begins with the selection of high-quality pork belly. The pork belly is trimmed and inspected for any defects before being sent to the curing process. The curing process involves applying a mixture of salt, sugar, and other flavorings to the pork belly. This mixture helps to preserve the meat and give it the distinctive sweet-smoky flavor that Oscar Mayer bacon is known for.

After the curing process, the pork belly is washed and then smoked using natural hardwood smoke. This smoking process can take up to 12 hours depending on the desired flavor and texture of the bacon. Once smoked, the bacon is cooled and sliced to the desired thickness before being packaged and shipped to retailers.

Oscar Mayer offers a variety of bacon products, including raw bacon, precooked bacon, and bacon bits and pieces. Raw bacon is available in various slice thickness options to fit different operational needs. Precooked bacon is perfectly prepared to save preparation and cleanup time. Bacon bits and pieces are fully cooked and ready to use for added texture in salads, appetizers, vegetable dishes, soups, and entrees.

The Impact Of Oscar Mayer On A Small Ohio Town

The expansion of the Coshocton plant was a significant boost for the small Ohio town. The community had lost many manufacturing jobs in the past decade, with about 42 percent of jobs disappearing in the last 10 to 15 years. The addition of 300 jobs and the investment of $43 million in construction and equipment costs were a much-needed shot in the arm for the town.

Dorothy Skowrunski, executive director of the Coshocton Port Authority, which helped broker the deal to keep Coshocton making bacon, expressed her excitement about the expansion, saying that people had been having to drive to Columbus and Zanesville to find jobs. With the expansion of Kraft, people could finally come back home to work.

The port authority offered a 10-year, 75 percent property-tax abatement on the expansion project, and worked with JobsOhio to secure a 10-year, 60 percent Job Creation Tax Credit through the Ohio Tax Commission. JobsOhio also contributed employee-training dollars to the incentive package. The city of Coshocton offered a job-creation grant, returning 50 percent of the company’s city income tax to Kraft Foods Group for 10 years.