People Ponder New Shape For Hot Dogs
February 23, 2010
The American Academy of Pediatrics said this week that foods such as hot dogs and chewing gum should have warning labels because they can pose a choking hazard to young children.
Another suggestion was to change the shape, including finding a new look for hot dogs.
But Eric Hummel, the marketing director for Hummel Brothers Meat Products, told National Public Radio that because of how a hot dog is made -- with a meat mixture pushed through an emulsifier -- there's really no other shape that could be used.
He said that making a patty shape would basically be the same as grilling a thick piece of baloney and putting it on a bun.
CNN's Jeanne Moos said that hot dogs got their distinctive shape because they were originally encased in sheep intestines. Now, they use either a natural casing, a collagen casing or a cellulose casing, Hummel said.
One person had an idea for Moos that doesn't involve changing the shape of a culinary icon.
"You know what parents need to do? They have to learn how to watch their kids. It's ridiculous. I've been eating hot dogs my whole life," he said.
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February 23, 2010
The American Academy of Pediatrics said this week that foods such as hot dogs and chewing gum should have warning labels because they can pose a choking hazard to young children.
Another suggestion was to change the shape, including finding a new look for hot dogs.
But Eric Hummel, the marketing director for Hummel Brothers Meat Products, told National Public Radio that because of how a hot dog is made -- with a meat mixture pushed through an emulsifier -- there's really no other shape that could be used.
He said that making a patty shape would basically be the same as grilling a thick piece of baloney and putting it on a bun.
CNN's Jeanne Moos said that hot dogs got their distinctive shape because they were originally encased in sheep intestines. Now, they use either a natural casing, a collagen casing or a cellulose casing, Hummel said.
One person had an idea for Moos that doesn't involve changing the shape of a culinary icon.
"You know what parents need to do? They have to learn how to watch their kids. It's ridiculous. I've been eating hot dogs my whole life," he said.
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