Bacon bits: the survey version contains no meat

In a randomized crossover trial in 25 young adults, a fast-food meal of hamburger, bacon and cola raised blood glucose and insulin more than a salmon burger meal on rye sourdough, whose rises were 44 percent smaller. Bacon was one part of that meal, so its own share cannot be pulled out. We found no trial of bacon bits themselves. The jar on the shelf may hold no bacon at all. USDA's only reference record for bacon bits is a meatless imitation, and the US survey entry for bacon bits carries the same numbers, 1770 mg of sodium and 32 g of protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single record with no sample spread. USDA files that record under legumes and lists no ingredients, so whether the legume is soy or something else, the record does not say. Soybeans are one of the nine major food allergens in the US, and FDA requires a food containing one to name the allergen source on the label. For anyone allergic to soy, the label is the guide, not the word bacon. A 7 g tablespoon, calculated from those 100 g figures, gives about 33 calories and 124 mg of sodium.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• USDA files its only bacon bits record, the meatless kind, under Legumes and Legume Products, and the survey food Bacon bits is built entirely from that meatless record, which carries no ingredient list. — USDA SR Legacy FDC 169893 Bacon bits, meatless, and FNDDS 41810250 Bacon bits (n = one SR Legacy record and one FNDDS survey food) Evidence E source
  SR Legacy food category Legumes and Legume Products (code 1600), no ingredient list; FNDDS Bacon bits built 100 percent from ingredient 43212 Bacon bits, meatless

What a real portion looks like

• A tablespoon of bacon bits weighs about 7 g in the US dietary survey and carries about 33 calories and 124 mg of sodium. — USDA FNDDS food Bacon bits, standard measures Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon 7 g: 33.3 calories, 123.9 mg sodium, 2.2 g protein, 1.8 g fat

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover feeding study in 12 volunteers, smoke compounds from bacon and hot dogs were absorbed and showed up as syringol sulfates in urine 2 and 12 hours after eating. — 12 volunteers eating bacon, salami and hot dog on consecutive days, plus 474 EPIC participants for validation (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Urinary syringol sulfates rose at 2 h and 12 h after smoked meat, AUC 0.78 to 0.86 for short-term intake

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for broiled or fried bacon, cooking keeps about 45% of thiamin, 80% of iron and 90% of sodium. — USDA retention factors, Pork Products, BACON, BROILED/FRIED Evidence E source
  Thiamin 45%, iron 80%, sodium 90%, zinc 100% retained

What it does to your health

• In a randomized crossover trial in 25 young adults, a hamburger meal with bacon and cola raised blood glucose and insulin more than an energy-matched salmon burger meal, which cut both rises by 44%. — 25 healthy normal weight and overweight volunteers aged 21 to 39, single test meals one week apart (n = 25) Evidence B source
  Postprandial glucose and insulin increases 44% lower after the alternative meal (P<0.001, P=0.003)
• An umbrella review of 54 meta-analyses found that each extra 50 g a day of processed meat was associated with a 17% higher colorectal cancer risk and 72% higher gastric cancer risk, on low to very low certainty evidence. — 34 articles with 54 meta-analyses of observational studies on processed meat Evidence C source
  Per 50 g/day: colorectal cancer +17%, gastric cancer +72%, prostate +4%, COPD +8%
• Observational data from 31 studies link processed meat to colorectal polyps, with a 65% higher risk at high intake, but not clearly to adenomas. — 31 observational studies of meat intake and precancerous colorectal lesions Evidence C source
  Polyps RR 1.65 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.61), adenomas RR 1.14 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.41)
• Cohort data on 381,291 adults associate each daily serving of processed meat with about 0.57 lb (0.26 kg) more weight gain a year, a very weak link with low certainty. — adults in 3 cohort studies for measured body weight (n = 381291) Evidence C source
  +0.26 kg/y per daily serving (95% CI 0.03 to 0.48), I2 93%

Safety, limits and interactions

• In US national survey data, bacon, frankfurters and sausages together supplied 2.4% of all dietary sodium. — US population, NHANES 2017-2018 24 h recalls (n = 7081) Evidence C source
  2.4% of population sodium intake from bacon, frankfurters and sausages
• WHO's cancer agency IARC classifies processed meat, which includes bacon, as Group 1, carcinogenic to humans, a rating of evidence strength rather than of risk size. — general population Evidence E source
  Group 1 classification for processed meat, based on colorectal cancer
• FDA lists soybeans among the nine major food allergens in the United States, and under FALCPA a food containing one must be labeled with the name of the allergen source. — US consumers with food allergy Evidence E source
  Soybeans listed among the nine major food allergens; foods containing a major food allergen must be labeled with the name of the allergen source

Who this works differently for

• The upper intake level for sodium is 2,300 mg a day from age 14, and children aged 1 to 13 have lower limits scaled down from the adult value. — people aged 14 years and over, and children aged 1 to 13 Evidence E source
  UL for sodium 2,300 mg a day from age 14; lower values for ages 1 to 13, extrapolated from the adult UL by median energy intake

What is still unknown

• USDA's only reference record for bacon bits is a meatless imitation with 1770 mg sodium and 32 g protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), and the US survey entry for bacon bits carries the same numbers, so real bacon crumbles have no separate USDA profile. — USDA SR Legacy record Bacon bits, meatless Evidence E source
  Sodium 1770 mg, protein 32 g, copper 0.539 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), single record without sample spread

The bottom line

Real bacon crumbles fall under processed meat, and the evidence there is observational. An umbrella review of 54 meta-analyses associated each extra 50 g a day of processed meat with a 17 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer and a 72 percent higher risk of gastric cancer, all on low to very low certainty evidence. Pooled observational studies linked high intake with a 65 percent higher risk of colorectal polyps (RR 1.65, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.61). For adenomas the estimate of 1.14 did not reach significance (95% CI 0.93 to 1.41). Three cohorts with 381,291 adults tied each daily serving to 0.57 lb (0.26 kg) more weight a year, with very high variation between studies. None of this was measured on the meatless kind. Cooking changes what is left. The USDA retention table for broiled or fried bacon, a group factor from 1975 never measured on crumbles, keeps about 45 percent of thiamin, 80 percent of iron and 90 percent of sodium. Smoke compounds are absorbed. In a feeding study in 12 volunteers, they appeared in urine 2 and 12 hours after hot dogs and bacon, a marker of eating rather than a health outcome. The cautions are salt, processed meat and an unnamed legume. A 7 g tablespoon carries about 124 mg of sodium. The upper intake level is 2,300 mg a day from age 14, and children aged 1 to 13 have lower limits scaled down from the adult value, which the source we hold does not spell out by age. In the 2017 to 2018 US national survey, bacon, frankfurters and sausages together supplied 2.4 percent of all dietary sodium, a group much broader than bacon bits. WHO's cancer agency IARC classifies processed meat as Group 1, carcinogenic to humans. That grade describes how certain the evidence is, and it says nothing about how large the risk is. The meatless kind is filed under legumes with no ingredient list, so the soy check happens on the label.

Sources

1. hf2-bcnb-2 · food composition table metadata
   FDC 169893 · description Bacon bits, meatless · dataType SR Legacy · foodCategory 1600 Legumes and Legume Products · ingredients none || FDC 2707466 · Bacon bits · foodCode 41810250 · inputFoods: ingredientCode 43212 Bacon bits, meatless, ingredientWeight 100
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2019) FDC 169893 and FNDDS 2021-2023 food code 41810250 · checked 2026-10-08
2. bcnb-r6-08 · dietary survey database
   Bacon bits, FNDDS code 41810250, fdc_id 2707466: Energy 476 KCAL, Sodium, Na 1770 MG, Protein 32 G, Total lipid (fat) 25.9 G per 100 g; 1 tablespoon 7 g
   USDA FNDDS, FNDDS code 41810250, fdc_id 2707466 · checked 2026-10-01
3. bcnb-r6-01 · randomized crossover trial
   The same compounds present as sulfate esters in urine increased at 2 and 12 h after consumption of smoked meat products (hot dog, bacon) in the intervention study.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-10-01
4. bcnb-r6-10 · retention factor table
   USDA-RETN-R6:1456 BACON,BROILED/FRIED (Pork Products): thiamin_mg 45%, iron_mg 80%, sodium_mg 90%, zinc_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), code 1456 · checked 2026-10-01
5. bcnb-r6-02 · randomized crossover trial
   The conventional fast-food meal was a hamburger meal (hamburger, bacon, cola drink, calculated glycemic load = 48.7), the unconventional fast food was a salmonburger meal (fiber-rich sourdough rye bread, salad with vinegar, orange juice, glycemic load = 46.0). ... Postprandial increases in glucose and insulin were 44% lower after the unconventional meal (P<0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively).
   Eur J Clin Nutr, 2012 · checked 2026-10-01
6. bcnb-r6-03 · umbrella review
   Dose-response analysis revealed that an increase in PM consumption of 50 g/day was associated with a 72% higher risk of gastric cancer, 17% higher risk of colorectal cancer, 4% higher risk of prostate cancer, and an 8% higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). All the above dose-response associations are based on low to very low certainty evidence as assessed by the GRADE system.
   Front Public Health, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
7. bcnb-r6-04 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   Processed meat consumption was correlated with increased colorectal polyp risk (1.65; 1.05, 2.61) but not colorectal adenoma risk (1.14; 0.93, 1.41).
   Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
8. bcnb-r6-05 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
   Three studies (n = 381 291) were included in the random-effects model of measured body weight, resulting in a summary increase of 0.26 kg/y per 1 daily serving of processed meat (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.48; τ2: 0.03; I2: 92.95%).
   Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-10-01
9. bcnb-r6-06 · cross-sectional survey
   More than 50% of US population-level dietary sodium intake was contributed by: pizza (5.3%); breads, rolls and buns (4.7%); cold cuts and cured meats (4.6%); soups (4.4%); burritos and tacos (4.3%); savoury snacks (4.1%); poultry (4.0%); cheese (3.1%); pasta mixed dishes (2.9%); burgers (2.5%); meat mixed dishes (2.5%); cookies, brownies and cakes (2.4%); bacon, frankfurters and sausages (2.4%); vegetables (2.2%); and chicken nuggets (1.5%), with the results remaining consistent among population subgroups.
   Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-10-01
10. bcnb-r6-07 · agency position
    Processed meat has been classified as Group 1, carcinogenic to humans.
    World Health Organization, Q&A Cancer: carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat · checked 2026-10-01
11. hf2-bcnb-1 · agency advice
    The major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. ... FALCPA requires that foods or ingredients that contain a "major food allergen" be specifically labeled with the name of the allergen source.
    US FDA, Food Allergies: What You Need to Know · checked 2026-10-08
12. hf2-bcnb-3 · agency evidence review background
    The IOM set the UL for sodium at 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 years and over, with lower values for those 1-13 years of age. The ULs for children were extrapolated from the adult UL based on median energy intakes.
    Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Sodium and Potassium Intake: Effects on Chronic Disease Outcomes and Risks (2018), Sodium Dietary Reference Intakes · checked 2026-10-08
13. bcnb-r6-09 · food composition table
    Bacon bits, meatless, FDC 169893 (sr_legacy): Sodium 1770 MG, Protein 32 G, Copper 0.539 MG per 100 g
    USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 169893 Bacon bits, meatless · checked 2026-10-01