Fauci Fancies a Frankfurter—PETA Says Make It Vegan

For Immediate Release:
March 15, 2021

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Dr. Anthony Fauci recently remarked that he’s looking forward to eating a hot dog at a ballgame after the pandemic is over—so today, PETA sent him a letter encouraging him to make it a vegan one in light of the personal and public health risks associated with eating meat, particularly processed meats like hot dogs. The group has also offered to send him some of the many brands of veggie dogs to enjoy at home until it’s safe to head to D.C.’s Nationals Park, where veggie dogs have been on the menu for years. The park even won a PETA award for being veg-friendly.

“COVID-19 came from a meat market, processed meats cause cancer, and what animals endure on factory farms is enough to make you lose your lunch, so the only appropriate hot dog is a tasty and animal-friendly vegan one,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA would love to see Dr. Fauci cheer on our home team, the Nats, with a vegan frank in hand.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” —opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Fauci follows.

March 15, 2021

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
Director

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Dear Dr. Fauci:

I’m writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide, including hundreds in Washington, D.C.—where we also have an office—in response to reports that you are looking forward to eating a ballpark frankfurter once the pandemic is over. Given that COVID-19 originated in a meat market and that processed meats, including hot dogs, are linked to the development of various types of cancer and other health problems, we hope you’ll opt for only vegan hot dogs in the future.

As you well know, consuming meat, eggs, and dairy has long been known to be unhealthy and completely unnecessary, and the current COVID-19 crisis is just one more reason why we all need to adopt a vegan lifestyle—a move that could help prevent the next global pandemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of recently emerged infectious diseases in humans came from other species. SARS, which originated in bats, claimed 774 lives. Swine flu, or H1N1—which originated in pigs—killed as many as 575,400 people. And you are well aware of the current and rapidly rising death toll from COVID-19.

In addition, the World Health Organization reports that processed meats such as hot dogs cause cancer, and studies show that going vegan reduces a person’s risk of suffering from heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. We must do all we can to improve our health, and we ask you to lead in this area, too. Of course, there is another compelling reason to try vegan hot dogs: Pigs are intelligent, sensitive animals who feel pain and form strong bonds with others—yet many of the millions who are killed in the U.S. every year are raised on filthy factory farms in horrible conditions. They are subjected to extreme crowding and routine mutilations, including castration and the mutilation of their ears—without any pain relief—before they’re sent on a terrifying journey to the slaughterhouse to endure a violent death.

Over the past 15 years, the number of vegans has skyrocketed by 3,000%, and it continues to climb rapidly. Since the start of the pandemic, 23% of Americans are eating more cruelty-free food, and sales of vegan items in the U.S. increased by 90% during the height of the pandemic. PETA has ranked the top vegan-friendly Major League Baseball stadiums for years, as venues continue to add meals for those who choose not to eat meat for ethical, environmental, or health reasons. So when you return to a ballpark, we hope you’ll find a vegan frankfurter there.

We’d be happy to send some delicious Beyond Burgers and Field Roast Plant-Based Frankfurters your way to cook at home while you await the chance to visit a ballpark again. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President