FILE – In this July 4, 2007 file photo, Nathan’s Famous employees prepare plates of hot dogs for Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Competition, in New York. On the eve of the World Series, where hot dogs are a staple in the stands, the World Health Organization on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 labeled the all-American wiener, bacon and other processed meats as being “carcinogenic to humans.” (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)America’s love of hot dogs
* Sales of fresh and processed meats reached $25.5 billion in the year ending Aug. 22, up 5.1 percent from the same period a year before, according to research firm The Nielsen Company. * More than 18.5 million hot dogs and nearly 4.2 million sausages were expected to be eaten at baseball parks during the 2015 MLB season, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. * In peak hot dog season – which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day – Americans typically eat 7 billion hot dogs, according to the NHDSC.
Hot dog makers and meat sellers say a report from the World Health Organization labeling wieners, bacon and other processed meats as cancer-causers is baloney.
WHO said Monday that processed meats raised the risk of colon, stomach and other cancers. It also said red meat probably contributes to the disease, too.
Meat eaters at a New York food court mostly shrugged off the report Monday. And Wall Street investors seemed to do the same, with shares of meat producers little changed.
The North American Meat Institute, which represents meat producers, said the report was “alarmist.”