PETA offers to repair Wienermobile following catalytic converter theft, but at a cost

WASHINGTON (TND) — Would you want to ride around in the “Notdogmobile”?

Well, it was a suggestion made by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to Oscar Mayer after one of its signature Wienermobiles had to be hauled to a repair bay in Las Vegas last Monday.

The Wienermobile in question, one of six 27-foot-long hot dog-shaped vehicles operated by Oscar Mayer and its parent company Kraft Heinz, was stranded in Las Vegas after its "hotdogger" (the official title of the driver) found its catalytic converter missing.

Imagine a huge, gigantic hot dog in the middle of your bay,” Joseph Rodriguez, a parts administrator with Penske, told CNN.

On closer inspection, not only was the converter missing but also many of the parts that connect to it.

“There’s like gaskets there that you need to reseal the converter. And then there’s sensors all along that area to regulate the heat and temperature of the system. Those are all gone as well. They tear that apart to get to what they want,” said Rodriguez.

Upon hearing of the misfortune that befell the beefy, beloved vehicle, PETA reached out to Kraft Heinz with an offer. In a letter by PETA president Ingrid Newkirk to Carlos Abrams-Rivera, executive vice president and president of the Kraft Heinz Company – North America Zone, the animal rights group offered to pay for the replacement parts and cover maintenance costs for one year if Heinz rebranded the Wienermobile as vegan – a Notdogmobile or “something similar.”

Newkirk noted in her missive that the demand for vegan frankfurters is rising with the global market for plant-based wieners growing by 20% in 2022 – with a projected market value of $1.99 billion in 2032.

Since Americans’ appetite for cruelty-free foods is only growing, we hope you’ll relish this opportunity to ketchup with the trend by having at least one veggie dog mobile," Newkirk wrote.

Kraft Heinz responded to the letter in a statement, essentially saying “thanks, but no thanks” to the offer, as the vehicle was back on the road and relishing being back on tour, as well as citing its efforts to increase plant-based offerings.

"We received the letter, and respectfully declined their offer as our Wienermobile is all fixed up and back on the road. Giving people a variety of high-quality, delicious food options is important to us, and we have long offered many plant-based options,” Kraft Heinz wrote.

We recently announced new plant-based Philadelphia cream cheese. We’re also excited to expand our plant-based offering via our joint venture with NotCo and have already announced Kraft NotCo plant-based cheese slices, as well as mayo. Later this year we’ll have even more plant-based options to reveal. It’s all part of our mission to lead the future of food and to make life delicious for everybody.

Theft of catalytic converters is increasingly becoming a major concern across the U.S.

State Farm reported over 43,000 incidents of theft nationally between July 2021 and June 2022. The part contains precious metals used to filter harmful exhaust emissions; it can be sold for thousands on the street.