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" Don&amp;#039;t even stop to think about your answer to the following question, just answer from your gut: Given the choice between a romantic, sultry evening with the lover of your dreams or a plate full of sweet, salty bacon, which would you choose? If you chose the latter option,  you have \u2014 no doubt \u2014 been chafing under the rising cost of your favorite edible substance as of late. And, yes, the cost of bacon has been rising. (Find great recipes for bacon here at Delish!) Bloomberg News reported earlier this month that pork bellies \u2014 the fatty undercut of the pig that supplies us with that compellingly flavored meat \u2014 have been rising in price because of smaller supplies. After farmers saw the prices of pork bellies fall dramatically a couple of years ago, they began cutting back on their herds, a move which is now producing higher prices. On Aug. 3, prices surged to $1.43 per pound, the highest they had been in about 12 years.  &amp;quot;There are just no stocks now, no frozen bellies around,&amp;quot; Chicago&amp;#039;s Tom Cawthorne, the director of hog marketing at R.J. O&amp;#039;Brien &amp;amp;amp; Associates, told Bloomberg. American supplies of the stuff can&amp;#039;t meet American demand. Surprisingly, bacon blogs \u2014 yes, there are blogs devoted to bacon \u2014 have been quiet on the matter. Yet, I can&amp;#039;t help but wonder just how large a role the recent bacon renaissance has played in the matter. As bacon has insinuated itself into everything from vodka to ice cream, demand has \u2014 no doubt \u2014 increased the pressure on our now meager supplies of the meat.  Of course, a similar occurrence with, say, Brussels sprouts might not be such a bad thing. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a38069/is-bacon-becoming-more-expensive/>