Vegans Sue for Cancer Warning on Hot Dogs

A group that promotes a meat-free diet wants hot dog packages to carry a label warning of their association with cancer, the Los Angeles Times reports. “Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer,” says a lawsuit filed by the vegan-friendly Cancer Project. “Companies that sell hot dogs are well aware of the danger, and their customers deserve the same information.”

Consumers are dubious. “Vegans complaining about hot dogs is like the Amish complaining about gas prices,” one says. And the processed-meat industry is aghast. “These proposals are unfounded,” a Kraft spokeswoman says. “Hot dogs have been enjoyed by consumers for more than 100 years.” Preservatives in hot dogs do break down into carcinogens during digestion, but “eating hot dogs occasionally is not by itself worrisome,” an expert says. (More hot dogs stories.)