Sizzlean was a cured meat product manufactured throughout the 1970s and 1980s and marketed as a healthier alternative to bacon. Swift & Co. originally produced the product and rolled it out to major United States markets in 1977.[1] Farm Journal, Vol. 101 (1977) ("Latest entry in the race to build a better bacon is Sizzlean from Swift & Company. Already available in a number of US cities, it's one more indication that formed and flaked meat can compete with substitutes for new markets")[2] In 1990, ConAgra Foods acquired Swift from Beatrice Foods and continued to market the product until about 2005.
Sizzlean was the subject of a series of commercials featuring the tagline: “Move over, bacon, there’s something leaner!” or “Move over, bacon, now there’s something meatier!”[3]
Although the product contained less fat than bacon, it was still 37% fat by weight, causing complaints that the "lean" name was not accurate.[4]