PETA Will Pay For Wienermobile’s Catalytic Converter—if It ‘Converts’

For Immediate Release:
February 16, 2023

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Following reports that an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile’s catalytic converter was stolen last week, PETA sent a letter this morning to parent company Kraft Heinz’s North American zone president, Carlos Abrams-Rivera, offering to cover the costs of replacing the part and maintaining the vehicle for one year—if the company converts it to a vegan hot dog mobile, a switch that might not prove too hard for the company, considering that it has plans to drive sales of its vegan dogs said to be in development.

PETA notes that the vegan hot dog market grew 20% last year—and because Kraft Heinz is exploring vegan meats with NotCo, including Oscar Mayer “Not Hot Dogs,” it’s the perfect time for the vehicle to shift gears.

“Instead of slinging cancer-causing processed meat made from cows’ livers and pigs’ snouts, the Oscar Mayer NotDogMobile would dish up the delicious veggie dogs that today’s diners want,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA would relish the opportunity to help Oscar Mayer ketchup with the booming vegan food market.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers free vegan starter kits to help anyone make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Abrams-Rivera follows.

February 16, 2023

Carlos Abrams-Rivera

Executive Vice President and President, North America Zone

The Kraft Heinz Company

Dear Mr. Abrams-Rivera:

Greetings! I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally, including thousands in Chicago—following reports about the theft of a catalytic converter from a Wienermobile in Las Vegas, with an offer you could really sink your teeth into. PETA is willing to cover the cost of the replacement part and the maintenance of the vehicle for one year if you convert it into a Not Dogmobile or something similar. With the rising demand for vegan hot dogs and following last year’s report about the potential for Oscar Mayer Not Hot Dogs, now is the perfect time to put the brakes on an old idea and make a shift. Allow me to elaborate.

As you know, the global market for plant-based hot dogs grew by a whopping 20% last year and is projected to reach a market value of $1.99 billion by 2032. In fact, 79% of Gen Zers choose to go meatless one day a week, while 65% want to follow a more plant-based diet. Eating hot dogs can put consumers of all ages in the fast lane to ill health. As a recent study showed, eating just one hot dog can take 36 minutes off a human life. The World Health Organization reports that eating processed meat—including hot dogs—causes cancer, while studies show that consuming vegan foods like protein-rich, cholesterol-free tofu reduces the risk of suffering from certain types of cancer, heart disease, and strokes.

There’s another excellent reason to consider a Veggie Dog Mobile: Pigs, cows, and other animals commonly used for hot dogs are intelligent, sensitive individuals who feel pain and form strong bonds with others. Putting the brakes on products made from animals and promoting tasty vegan dogs instead would spare living, feeling beings this miserable fate and win you a place in all compassionate hearts.

Frankly, we want everyone to consider that they now have options, whether they’re vegan for ethical, environmental, health, religious, or other reasons or they just want to try a vegan hot dog. Since Americans’ appetite for cruelty-free foods is only growing, we hope you’ll relish this opportunity to ketchup with the trend by having at least one veggie dog mobile. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President