During the late seventies and eighties, Sizzlean was a popular bacon alternative produced by Swift & Co. The breakfast strips were sold as a healthier alternative to bacon because they had less fat and shrunk less than regular pork bacon. Sizzlean was supposedly 50% leaner than pork belly bacon, in fact, although it actually contained 37% fat. And let’s be honest, if it didn’t, it wouldn’t have tasted as good. Most sites that talk about nostalgia or food history seem to think of Sizzlean as one of those crazy 1980s ideas that should be thrown away.
People think that products are only taken off the market because they don’t sell, which isn’t true. In truth, Sizzlean did not fail, at least not in that way. Did it outsell bacon? No. Was it successful? Yes.
As someone who grew up in the 1970s and 80s, Sizzlean bacon holds a nostalgic place in my heart. That iconic package with sizzling bacon front and center brings me right back to childhood weekend breakfasts. But wait – when was the last time I actually saw Sizzlean at the grocery store? Does this beloved bacon brand from my youth still exist today?
In this article, I’ll get to the bottom of the mystery We’ll take a stroll down memory lane and revisit Sizzlean’s heyday Then we’ll uncover what led to its disappearance from store shelves. While Sizzlean may be gone, we’ll see if any comparable alternatives have tried to take its place.
If you also have fond memories of this leaner-than-bacon breakfast meat read on to learn the fate of this blast from the past!
Sizzlean Bacon’s Rise to Fame
First, let’s revisit Sizzlean’s roots and peak popularity:
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Introduced in 1977 – Created by Swift & Company as a lower-fat alternative to bacon. Marketed as “the meatier, leaner breakfast strip.”
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National rollout – Expanded distribution nationwide through the late 70s after a successful test launch in 1976.
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Heavy marketing – Blanketed the airwaves with catchy commercials touting it was “leaner than bacon!”
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Positive press – Profiled favorably in newspapers and magazines as a more health-conscious bacon.
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Brisk sales – Swift struggled to meet demand at over 11 million pounds sold per month at its peak.
Through smart positioning and marketing hype, Sizzlean succeeded in carving out a niche in the breakfast meat arena throughout the late 70s and 80s. But its reign wouldn’t last forever.
The Decline and Disappearance of Sizzlean
While Sizzlean was initially a sizzling success, a variety of factors led to its downfall:
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Questionable health claims – Though leaner than bacon, it was still 37% fat – leading to criticism it wasn’t that healthy.
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Food trends changed – As the low-fat craze took hold in the 80s and 90s, demand dropped for higher fat meats.
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Turkey bacon emerged – A newer, lower fat alternative stole market share in the 1990s.
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Lack of innovation – Sizzlean failed to adapt with new varieties or marketing.
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Changing ownership – After ConAgra acquired Swift in 1990, Sizzlean wasn’t a priority.
By the mid-2000s, Sizzlean had all but disappeared from grocery stores and the collective conscience. But does any trace of it still exist today?
Faint Signs Sizzlean Bacon Lingers
While Sizzlean has vanished from mainstream food retailers, some subtle signs of life remain:
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eBay availability – Vintage packs and ads surface in online auctions from time to time.
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Specialty butcher shops – Some old-school meat markets may still have an occasional stash.
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Nostalgia blogs – Sizzlean gets discussed fondly on “Do You Remember?” blogs and forums.
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Trademark renewal – ConAgra filed to renew the Sizzlean trademark in 2019.
However, these are faint traces at best. For all practical purposes, Sizzlean is no longer a real product you can readily purchase. But those craving that sizzling taste of yesteryear still have a couple options…
The Best Sizzlean Bacon Replacements
While Sizzlean itself may never make a widespread comeback, a couple worthy substitutes have stepped in to fill the void:
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni – This slim pepperoni pack provides a similar meaty, salty taste. Not exactly bacon, but leaner.
Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon – The most direct replacement in terms of mimicking bacon texture and flavor.
Beef Jerky – For a meaty, chewy, savory fix, beef jerky can supply the Sizzlean vibe.
Tofurky Veggie Bacon – For a vegan take, smoked coconut oil gives Tofurky strips that salty, smoky bacon essence.
Granted, nothing will fully recapture the magical combination of crunch, spice, and porky decadence that Sizzlean delivered. But these alternatives come reasonably close to satisfying that lingering craving.
Will Sizzlean Bacon Ever Make a Comeback?
What are the odds we’ll see a Sizzlean comeback on grocery shelves someday? Unfortunately, a full-scale relaunch seems unlikely. However, a couple avenues offer a glimmer of hope:
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Limited-run retro products – Some brands revive legacy products briefly as marketing ploys. Sizzlean could ride this nostalgia wave.
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Artisanal recreation – Small specialty meat companies could produce short Sizzlean runs.
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Adjusted recipe relaunch – A lighter, updated version that keeps the name but not the higher fat content.
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Acquisition by a bacon-focused company – Oscar Mayer or a smoked-meat startup could revive it.
Never say never, but for now, Sizzlean remains trapped in the past. We’ll have to settle for memories of its unmistakable sizzle.
Sizzlean Lives on in Spirit
While actual Sizzlean bacon may no longer grace breakfast tables, its spirit lives on thanks to nostalgia and some comparable substitutes. We may never know that perfect blend of its signature crunch and salty, smoky flavor again. But brands like Oscar Mayer and Tofurky allow us to come close to recapturing the magic.
Perhaps someday an artisan meat company will ride the retro food wave and reintroduce Sizzlean in small batches. Until then, I’ll stick with turkey bacon and beef jerky when I need to satisfy my longing for that leaner, meaner breakfast meat from my childhood. Here’s to you, Sizzlean – gone but not forgotten!
Why Was Sizzlean Discontinued?
I was not able to find why, specifically, Sizzlean was discontinued. By 1990, ConAgra Foods had bought Swift, and the company stopped making the product before selling off its meat-focused brands.
It’s possible that drop in sales was the reason for this, but there are many other possible reasons as well.
As one commenter said, maybe it was just an orphan product. If we look at the pharmaceutical industry as an example, this would mean that the product was good but couldn’t be sold, which is like Jello Pudding Pops.
However, I doubt the profit margin was the sole problem. More likely they just failed to “find a home” at ConAgra. The company may simply have chosen to discontinue certain products to focus on others. And, this brings us back to my comment about market share.
As the years have gone by, Sizzlean may have lost some of its market share. But if you want a product to do well, you have to love it with advertising dollars.
Sizzlean may not have failed because it didn’t make any money or even sell any units, but a product can also fail if it doesn’t get a big share of the market. In this case, the company wastes resources that could be used to make more money-making products in the long run.
So, you see, a product does not have to be a total failure to fail. No matter how much we miss it, our favorite fake bacon was never a big deal, even when it was popular. It was never going to become bacon’s brother from another mother.
When Was Sizzlean Discontinued?
This product and others like it, like Firebrand beef breakfast strips, never had a big share of the bacon market, but they sold well for a long time.
Sizzlean was sold in the 1980s and 1990s, but by the early 2000s, it was almost impossible to find. It was completely discontinued by 2005. It’s like Jello Pudding Pops: a lot of people remember it fondly and want to know why it’s not sold anymore.
1985 Sizzlean “Move over Bacon” TV Commercial
Is Sizzlean a healthy alternative to Bacon?
During the late seventies and eighties, Sizzlean was a popular bacon alternative produced by Swift & Co. The breakfast strips were marketed as a healthier alternative to bacon and boasted less fat and less shrinkage than regular pork bacon. Sizzlean was supposedly 50% leaner than pork belly bacon, in fact, although it actually contained 37% fat.
What is Sizzlean Bacon?
Sizzlean bacon is a type of bacon that is made with lean pork. This means that there is less fat on the bacon, making it a healthier option. Sizzlen, a cured beef product that was marketed as healthier, was a popular substitute for bacon. The product was created by Swift and was first sold in the United States market in 1977.
Is Sizzlean a ‘lean’ product?
Sizzlean was the subject of a series of commercials featuring the tagline: “Move over, bacon, there’s something leaner!” or “Move over, bacon, now there’s something meatier!” Although the product contained less fat than bacon, it was still 37% fat by weight, causing complaints that the “lean” name was not accurate.
What happened to Sizzlen Bacon?
Sizzlen bacon was a cured meat product marketed as a healthier alternative to bacon that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1977, Swift Products began distributing the product in the major US markets. It was withdrawn from the market in 2005.
Is Sizzlean better than hog belly bacon?
Despite the fact that sizzlean contains a 37% fat content, it has been claimed that it is 50% slimmer than hog belly bacon. I had it as well, but I didn’t like the taste, as I recall. It was a little meatier and chewier than bacon. Sizzle is being criticized for being less crisp than bacon.
When was Sizzlean made?
Sizzlean was a cured meat product manufactured throughout the 1970s and 1980s and marketed as a healthier alternative to bacon. Swift & Co. originally produced the product and rolled it out to major United States markets in 1977.