NORFOLK, Va. — The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile recently fell victim to a catalytic converter theft, and now one animal rights organization says it will cover the replacement costs.
But under one condition.
Ingrid Newkirk, the president of Norfolk-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), heard about the catalytic converter theft.
Not long after, she sent a letter to Kraft Heinz’s North American zone president, Carlos Abrams-Rivera, saying she heard it happened in Las Vegas.
Newkirk said PETA would pay for a replacement catalytic converter but only if the company converts the Weinermobile into a vegan hot dog mobile.
"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," Newkirk said in the letter. "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."
The letter said the vegan hot dog market grew 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," Newkirk said. "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."
MORE: Click or tap here to read the full letter from PETA.
Kraft Heinz sent the following statement to News 3.
"We received the letter, and respectfully declined their offer as our Wienermobile is all fixed up and back on the road. Giving people a variety of high-quality, delicious food options is important to us, and we have long offered many plant-based options. We recently announced new plant-based Philadelphia cream cheese. We’re also excited to expand our plant-based offering via our joint venture with NotCo and have already announced Kraft NotCo plant-based cheese slices, as well as mayo. Later this year we’ll have even more plant-based options to reveal. It’s all part of our mission to lead the future of food and to make life delicious for everybody.”
