It’s All about the Pork

Bacon, pork and dogs: A rundown of false advertising lawsuits, hidden meat, and more.

Nov 09, 2015

It’s All about the Pork

The World Health Organization’s recent announcement that it was classifying processed meat as a probable human carcinogen has put popular foods like bacon and hot dogs in the spotlight. However, some people clearly want more of the pork advertised in the product. And others who want to avoid processed meat or meat altogether may find it difficult. Here’s a rundown.


T.G.I. Friday’s Cheddar & Bacon Chips: T.G.I. Friday’s Cheddar & Bacon Chips

You’d think that a bag of chips touting “more bacon” on the outside would contain at least some bacon on the inside.

But among the 30-plus ingredients listed on the back of a bag of T.G.I. Friday’s Cheddar & Bacon Chips, “bacon” is oddly absent. This might make the WHO people happy but not people who buy the chips wanting their bacon.
Beggin’ Strips: Beggin’ Strips

These dog treats have the look, smell and feel of real bacon and even the name of the product — Beggin’ — sounds like bacon.

But a recent false advertising lawsuit claims that bacon only constitutes “a minor ingredient” in the product and that the main components are actually “cheap, non-meat fillers.”

Doggone it.
Walmart’s Great Value Pork & Beans: Walmart’s Great Value Pork & Beans

Where’s the pork? That’s the question asked in a pending class-action lawsuit against Walmart.

The suit alleges that “rigorous scientific testing” revealed that the mega retailer’s store-brand of pork and beans, despite its name and label, contained “no pork whatsoever.” So it’s really just a great value on beans.
Vegetarian Hot Dogs: Vegetarian Hot Dogs

Then there are those who want to avoid eating processed meat or meat altogether who may find that difficult.

A recent report from the foodies at Clear Food found pork hiding in an unexpected place: vegetarian hot dogs.
Hot Dogs and Human DNA: Hot Dogs and Human DNA

Perhaps more unsettling than meat in meatless hot dogs, however, was Clear Food’s finding that two percent of the 345 hot dogs tested had traces of human DNA, which even people on Sizzl — a bacon dating app, of all things — would have trouble digesting.