Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years
Statewide Day In Bacon’s Honor Is May 1; Illinois Produces Six Billion Slices Annually
By Tom Emery
Wednesday, May 1 is Illinois Bacon Day, and across the Land of Lincoln, bacon lovers are lining up to celebrate.
The day was designated by a joint resolution in the Illinois Senate, which has routinely set aside a day in recent years to honor one of the state’s top agricultural products.
The state ranks fourth in pork production in the U.S., and produces six billion slices of bacon annually. That’s enough to keep bacon fans coming back for more.
“Oh, I just love bacon,” said Karen Beach, 72, who works in a public library. “I could eat it all day long.”
Beach’s favorite bacon dish is an American staple. “Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich,” she said with a smile. “Just put a homegrown tomato on top of it. It doesn’t get any better.”
The average American eats an average of 17.9 pounds of bacon a year, and Illinois provides its share. The state produced 2.85 billion pounds of pork in 2022, with Pike County ranking as the top county for production.
Illinois is home to the largest family-owned pork producer in the world, the fifth-generation Maschhoff operation of Clinton County, east of St. Louis. In all, the Illinois pork industry supports 57,000 jobs.
Bacon is so popular that Illinois celebrates three days in its honor, National Bacon Day, which is marked in Dec.; International Bacon Day, which falls around Labor Day; and the state’s own day for bacon.
In recent years, bacon has enjoyed renewed status, as Americans keep finding ways to add bacon to their daily diet.
“Bacon is tasty and versatile,” said Darrin Deneve, 52, a high school mathematics teacher and girls’ basketball coach. “There are so many ways to use bacon. You can have it for breakfast, you can put it on a burger, or you can use it as a topping on a dessert.”
The national love of bacon is the continuation of a phenomenon noted by British travel writer Fanny Trollope, who observed in 1832 that Americans eat “an extraordinary quantity of bacon.” Today, bacon comprises eighteen percent of all pork consumption in the U.S.
Tom Emery may be reached at 217-710-8392.
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