Bacon Supplants Ham as Top Sandwich Protein

Bacon has overtaken ham as the most common protein in American sandwiches, while sourdough is emerging as the fastest-growing bread carrier, according to Datassential’s Sandwiches report.

Bacon appeared on 30% of consumers’ last protein-featuring sandwiches, up 9 percentage points since 2022 — the largest gain among all proteins tracked. Ham slipped to second place at 25%, down 3 points from 2022, while turkey remained little changed at 20%. Overall, 68% of sandwich-eating consumers said their most recent sandwich included a protein.

The surge in bacon aligns with broader menu and consumption shifts. The breakfast daypart saw the greatest percentage-point growth in terms of share of consumers’ last sandwiches, rising by 4-percentage points since 2022, and bacon-forward formats such as breakfast sandwiches and BLTs ranked as the second- and third-most commonly consumed sandwich varieties, respectively.

Menu activity reflects that momentum. The BLTA, a BLT plus avocado, has nearly doubled its menu penetration over the past four years. Datassential’s Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Keynote report also found that nearly half of Gen Z and Millennial consumers are interested in flavored bacon varieties, such as jalapeño or maple bacon, both of which are gaining traction on menus. 

Meanwhile, sourdough recorded the largest consumption gains of any sandwich carrier, climbing 5 percentage points since 2022 to account for 11% of consumers’ most recent sandwich occasions. Already appearing on 14% of U.S. menus, sourdough has grown 7% over the past four years, with Datassential Menu Trends data projecting an additional 6% increase over the next four years.

Datassential’s Next Gen Global report further spotlighted sourdough’s versatility, including its use as an alternative tortilla ingredient, while noting that nearly two-thirds of consumers say they love or like the sandwich carrier.