These Hot Dog Brands Are Cleaning Up Their Acts By Cutting Out Controversial Ingredients
Hot dog season is coming up, and two hot dog brands, Ball Park and Oscar Mayer, are stepping up their game to remove added nitrites and nitrates from their products. Both of the companies are looking to become more transparent about the ingredients in their products so consumers don't have to think twice about what they're eating.
"There are a few foods for kids out there — hot dogs, pizza, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets — that if you put them in front of kids, they would smile. But parents haven't felt as good about putting them in front of their kids," Greg Guidotti, head of marketing at Oscar Mayer, told Fortune.
Ball Park swapped the ingredients with natural alternatives such as celery juice powder and sea salt in its beef hot dogs, according to the press release. The company says that although they made the switch, the taste of their beef hot dogs hasn't changed.
Kraft Heinz, the parent company of Oscar Mayer, also opted for natural ingredients in its Kraft Mac & Cheese brand, replacing artificial dyes with paprika and turmeric.
As for the entire hot dog line, the brand announced that its new recipe will include "No added nitrates or nitrites. No artificial preservatives. No by-products," according to the press release. In honor of changing up the recipes, Oscar Mayer is launching a campaign called "For The Love of Hot Dogs," which will involve "Weinermobiles" travelling across the country for three months spreading the word of their "big changes."