The survey found that while consumer tastes in condiments for hot dogs differs, 77 percent say they are concerned about what’s in their hot dogs. The survey also found that 74 percent agree that most hot dogs are of low quality. This comes as National Hot Dog Month is set to begin in July. Americans will consume 150 million hot dogs on July 4 alone.
“It’s clear that Americans are becoming more concerned about what’s in their food and where it comes from, and unfortunately food labels don’t necessarily tell the whole story,” said Stephen McDonnell, co-founder and chief executive officer of Applegate.
Other findings in the Applegate survey revealed:
• Mustard was the top topping, followed by ketchup, onions and relish. Tomatoes were the topping used least often.
• For Southerners, chili was the favorite, coming in just behind mustard and ketchup.
• Midwesterners enjoy pickles on their hotdogs the most compared to other regions of the US.
• Hot dog eaters in the Western US prefer cheese on their hot dots.
• Sauerkraut is the leading hot dog topping among Northeasterners.
Nearly all survey respondents – 95 percent – categorized grilled hot dogs as delicious. Only 9 percent said they "never buy hot dogs." Toluna Omnibus conducted the survey June 8-12, with a national sample of 1,045 US adults aged 18 or older. The sample included hot dog purchasers in the past six months, and households with children under the age of 18 that purchased hot dogs in the past six months.
