SUPERMARKETGURU FOOD &
HEALTH WEEKLY NEWSFLASH!
July 4th Means Hot Dog Time
Published on: June 28, 2006
The first Coney Island hot dog stand opened in 1871 and sold 3,684 dogs during its first year of operation. 134 years later, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC), fans in major league baseball parks will consume enough hot dogs (24.3 million hot dogs) to stretch from RFK Stadium in Washington), D.C. to AT&T Park in San Francisco.
In a year, Americans eat more than 20 billion hot dogs. Over the course of the summer, Americans consume 7 billion hot dogs. During National Hot Dog Month in July, Americans eat two billion hot dogs. On the July 4th holiday weekend alone, there are typically 150 million hot dogs eaten. So, no surprise here, but the NHDSC says three-fourths of Americans associate hot dogs more with the 4th of July than with any other holiday.
Hot dog sales are easy to track inside the walls of a retail store or restaurant, but the number of hot dogs sold at concession stands and carnivals is harder to calculate. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that an additional 38% of hot dog sales between Memorial Day and Labor Day occur in these locations.
But in the supermarket aisles, frankfurter sales for the 52 week period ending in May 2006 topped 1.6 billion dollars according to ACNielsen Strategic Planner – actually down 1.3% from the previous year. 2005 was down 0.5% from 2004 and before that 2004 was down 0.6% from 2003. Meanwhile sausage sales have declined by 0.2% this past year despite small increases from 2002 to 2005.
Is our love affair with the hot dog coming to an end? I don't think so. In fact, I like hot dogs. They are fun to eat. Fun to cook. And I love sauerkraut. But it just seems like this product isn't keeping up with the nutritional correction that's taking place. Or are they, and we just haven't tasted those "healthier versions" recently?
Hot dog makers have been reformulating their recipes over the past couple of years to produce lower fat and fat free hot dogs that these days taste very good. Just in time, as these products are registering a drop in sales.
Is it that when it comes to eating what many think is America's favorite fun food, eating healthy just doesn't matter? Or (more likely) is it that the healthier offerings just don't taste as good?
So before you take another bite, read those labels (especially the fat and sodium content) and think about re-tasting one of the healthier alternatives. Be careful when cooking, as many of the non-beef/pork hot dogs can be overcooked very easily, so read the cooking directions carefully.
Here's my primer – CLICK HERE for Hot Dogs 101!
