In a new campaign to get consumers to eat more bacon, Kraft Heinz bacon brand Oscar Mayer is giving away a lifetime supply of animal-based bacon to celebrate World Vegan Day. Consumers are only eligible if they pledge to “BacOFF,” or not eat bacon during the holiday.
Calling bacon the “gateway meat,” Oscar Mayer’s “BacOFF” campaign positions its offering as scam-worthy bacon. In an attempt to help vegans stay on track, the brand is encouraging meat eaters to stand in solidarity by pledging via social media not to eat any bacon on World Vegan Day for the chance to win a lifetime of free bacon as a reward.
The campaign is more than just a giveaway, with the brand saying it’s blurring the bacon from its social media and removing it from other paid ads in an effort to reduce perceived temptation.
Oscar Mayer
“The tempting taste of bacon, smoked in real wood smoke for 12 hours, can be difficult for those who want to give up meat,” Anne Field, Head of North American Brand Communications, Oscar Mayer, Kraft Heinz Company, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re doing our part to celebrate World Vegan Day by removing the bacon-y temptation created by our advertising and rewarding those who make the difficult choice to avoid the inevitable. Don’t Bac-On, Bac-Off.”
Why vegan bacon is better
Many vegan bacon brands, which are doing their part to help consumers choose plant-based bacon as a more ethical and sustainable alternative, say Oscar Mayer is missing the point entirely and, perhaps, even admitted that there are many faults in our diet. system when it comes to eating animals.
Founded by Beth Zotter and Amanda Stiles, food technology startup Umaro Foods was the first to develop and use concentrated red seaweed protein as an umami-enhancing ingredient in plant-based meats. The company’s origins began in the design of offshore seaweed farming systems, and it is now focused on delivering branded consumer food products featuring its proprietary Umaro red seaweed protein. Umaro’s mission is to create an entire food system using this sustainable source of vegan protein.
Umaro Foods
“I think the Oscar Mayer campaign is pretty stupid, but they’re right about one thing—the fact that bacon activates all the parts of our brain that are evolutionarily designed to crave meat. It’s almost like a drug,” Zotter told VegNews. “That’s why we designed a formula that delivers the most exciting ingredient: the fatty flavor.”
Umaro recently launched its first food product, vegan bacon, in select restaurants. Formulated with Umaro’s proprietary seaweed protein, the innovative bacon aims to replicate the sensory qualities of pork bacon.
“Since we started, we [have] also talks about how a good vegan bacon can be a ‘gateway’—the one that finally allows consumers to transition away from animal meat,” Zotter said.
Changing the narrative about a plant-based diet
For vegan bacon brand Hooray Foods, Oscar Mayer’s campaign is more than meets the eye and provides an opportunity for a larger discussion of the overall narrative around veganism.
Hooray Foods
“We are delighted to see one of the most iconic bacon brands admit that there is something deeply flawed in how we consume pork,” Hooray Foods founder Sri Artham told VegNews. “However, what this campaign highlights most is the need to continue changing the narrative around plant-based eating.”
Veganism is not about depriving yourself,” Artham said. “It’s about increasing the amount of happiness in the world. We hope that more people will start to see the plant-based diet as an opportunity to try new foods instead of giving up the things they love.
Hooray Foods has developed hyperrealistic vegan bacon as a way to combat the environmentally damaging effects of the pork industry. Artham was first inspired to create a better alternative to pork bacon after witnessing the wildfires that devastated California in 2019. This disaster led Artham to make a connection between the climate crisis and the pork industry—which is the second Agriculture is the largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States after the cattle industry.
Hooray’s vegan bacon first launched in Whole Foods Market stores in 2020 and sold 1.3 million vegan bacon strips that year. Since then, Hooray’s vegan bacon has expanded its retail distribution and made its way onto select restaurant menus, including fast-casual restaurant chain Just Salad.
Earlier this year, Hooray released an AWESOMER iteration of its vegan bacon that more closely resembles its animal-derived counterpart with chewy and crispy portions of each strip made using the brand’s evolved proprietary emulsion forming technology.
Hooray Foods
Hooray Foods Chef Sam Lippman told VegNews that for its part, Oscar Mayer will learn from vegan companies how to make a positive difference in the world on World Vegan Day.
“A company of this size, with such a large reach and resources, can have an even more positive impact on World Vegan Day and beyond by investing in the development of non-animal alternatives in their own products, donating to farm sanctuaries or organizations dedicated to promoting awareness of health, climate, and animal welfare,” said Lippman.
Is Oscar Mayer confused about vegan bacon?
For new vegan bacon brand Thrilling Foods, Oscar Mayer’s campaign just shows how confused the company is about the benefits of veganism.
“Unfortunately, Oscar Mayer and their marketing experts seem to be socially isolated and very confused about the importance of continuous improvement in the humane treatment of animals, the reduction of the consumption of carcinogenic foods such as pork bacon, and the development of a more sustainable future for. our planet—all of which is driven by consumers choosing to eliminate meat from their diet,” said Thrilling Foods co-founder David Jones at VegNews.
Fun Foods
Exciting foods recently received a US patent for its proprietary use of “protein bound fat” streaks in its Bakon product, alternating with ultra-lean meaty layers, allowing it to make and fry your own fat like conventional pork bacon. Jones created Bakon over an 18-month period during the COVID-19 lockdowns and it is now sold in over 200 health food stores across the US.
“Pork bacon producers are losing ground because of these positive developments, with sales falling 10 percent year over year,” Jones said. “And, obviously, Oscar Mayer needs to use its product supply while Thrilling Foods can’t make enough of our traditionally cured plant-based Bakon to satisfy the demand.”
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Nicole Axworthy is VegNews’ News Editor and cookbook author DIY Vegan.
