The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have offered to pay for repairs to the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, on the condition that the hot-dog-slinging company agrees to rebrand the food-shaped truck as a vegan wiener.
The nonprofit penned a letter to the food manufacturer’s parent company, Kraft Heinz, which it has shared with Carscoops.com, following recent reports that the vehicle’s catalytic converter was stolen in Las Vegas while it was parked overnight. In the letter, PETA offers to cover the cost of the replacement part, as well as maintenance of the vehicle for one year, if it converts it into a “NotDogmobile or something similar.”
“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,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, in a statement. “PETA would relish the opportunity to help Oscar Mayer ketchup with the booming vegan food market.”
More: Thieves Take A Bite Out Of Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Stealing Its Catalytic Converter
PETA says that the move would help Oscar Mayer cash in on the growing craze for vegan “meat” products, claiming that the veggie dog market grew 20 percent in 2022. It also points to Kraft Heinz’ own exploration into the plant-based food market.
Indeed, the company announced in February 2022 that it had partnered with TheNotCompany to create plant-based alternatives to its brands’ products. As part of the partnership, Kraft Heinz hinted that Oscar Mayer would be working on a vegan Not Hot Dog.
It’s unclear how much a catalytic converter replacement for a food-shaped truck costs, specifically, but in cars, repairs that stem from a stolen catalytic converter can cost as much as $11,000. Not only are the parts expensive, but repairs can be time-consuming and difficult. That, though, is apparently not enough to convince the Kraft Heinz corporation.
“We received the letter, and respectfully declined their offer as our Wienermobile is all fixed up and back on the road,” the company said in a statement to Carscoops, adding, though, that it would have new plant-based food options, if not transportation options, in the year ahead.
