American Pigs Are Too Fat For Holiday Ham

Eating ham has never been more expensive than this year, partly because U.S. pigs are too fat.

Hogs in the U.S. weigh the most ever after farmers fed them longer to make up for losses caused by a virus that killed millions of piglets. While heavier hogs means more pork per animal, their hind legs exceed the size used for producing the 7-pound spiral-cut, half hams that are the most popular for family meals during year-end holidays.

Half of annual ham consumption by Americans occurs at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and retail prices through October were up 26 percent this year to a record $3.433 a pound, government data show. The increase was fueled by the virus, which shrank the domestic herd and reduced the number of hogs slaughtered this year by 5.2 percent, boosting costs for meat buyers including Noodles & Co. (NDLS)

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