Bacon has a bonafide religion

It may be an atheist parody, but The United Church of Bacon was founded in Las Vegas by John Whiteside in 2010. Boasting of some 20,000+ members, the Church operates through its mission statement ('Hail Bacon, full of grease, the Lard is with thee') and the '8 Bacon Commandments'.

The main criteria for joining? You must 'love the smell', which can be of the pork, turkey or vegetarian variety. Officiants are known simply as friars.

Bacon inspired the greatest holiday camp of them all

However, if worshipping the food is a bit too dedicated for your liking, why not book into Bacon Camp? Held each year in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the camp offers up a range of activities for those who accept their salted addiction. You can enrol in cooking classes and tasting sessions while enjoying various speeches given by those in the food industry. There's even a film festival!

The next event takes place from June 3 until June 7, 2020. Basic entry costs $195 per person with breakfast, lunch, and dinner consisting of nothing but the greatest meats. Talk about heaven!

You can buy bacon cologne!

If engaging with the Church, and attending Camp Bacon, doesn't satisfy your craving, you can smell of the stuff all day, every day with legitimate cologne. Crafted by Fargginay, 'bacon' (pronounced 'bay-cone') remains the world's first fragrance for those who can't resist the tangy aroma of cooked pork. Tasty.

Max Stonie holds the world record for eating the most

Of course, the most significant aspect is eating the stuff! However, nobody knows how to devour the food quite like Matt Stonie.

He chewed through 182 perfectly cooked strips in only 5 minutes. That's 1 and a half strips every second. Hats off to you, Sir!

It was used to make bombs in WWII

Throughout the Second World War, U.S. authorities urged citizens to donate all excess bacon fat to the army. Except, it wasn't to feed troops and the like. Instead, the fat was utilised to make bombs.

A whole committee was founded to ensure the campaign was a success, working under the name of 'The American Fat Salvage Committee'. Fat was used to make glycerin, a component factor in setting off a successful explosion.

America eats the most

Although millions around the globe consume bacon, the good ol' U.S. A tops the chart when it simmers down to consumption per person. The average American consumes roughly 18 pounds per annum, with New Yorkers devouring the most. Annual sales figures across North America hit $4 billion back in 2013. That's a lot of meat.

Not that the U.K. is far behind. The average Brit consumes 17.8 lbs every 12 months. A whopping 90.4% of households in Britain regularly purchase the stuff.

A pig is only 11% bacon

Only 11% of a pig's weight is used to make bacon. As such, a 200-pound pig will yield roughly 20 pounds of produce, depending upon the manufacturing process.

There's a Kevin Bacon sculpture made out of…

You guessed it. Artist Mike Lahue used seven bottles of bacon bits, lashings of glue, and five coats of lacquer to craft a bust of the Hollywood actor. It was sold at auction a number of years ago, although there is no word on how the artwork is holding up. Or how it smells.

They once proposed a bacon alarm clock

They say there is no finer morning smell than the crisp sensation of frying bacon. So, a few years back, some clever bods decided to offer an alarm with a difference. Oscar Mayer constructed a bacon alarm app that featured the sound - and smell - of cooked bacon to awaken you from your deep slumber.

Smell? Yup. There was an iPhone attachment offered to a select few as part of a contest that provided the bacon aroma. Swish.

Bacon Dating App

Oscar Mayer is also responsible for the dating app 'Sizzl', which helps 'true bacon lovers find each other and potentially meet their soulmates in life'.  Sizzl assesses your Facebook profile to poll you on your preferred type of bacon. You can even press and hold a 'sizzl-meter' for the person of your choice. Hot stuff!

UK's Most Popular

The top brand bought throughout TRDP stores so far this year remains Euro Shopper - making up 34.8% of all sales. The top product is Euro Shopper Unsmoked Rindless Back Bacon. Scotland buys the most on average, whereas London purchases the least.