Introduction

What's This I Hear About Hot Dogs and Cancer?

The Cancer Project, an affiliate of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, petitioned the USDA last year to convince them to ban hot dogs from school lunches. They also ran a TV ad to scare the public away from hot dogs, saying that feeding hot dogs to your children will give them cancer:

Should we be worried? Here's the truth:

• None of the children in the ad have cancer, they are paid actors
• Scientific research actually shows there is no increased risk of cancer associated with processed meats such as hot dogs
• The preservatives in hot dogs blamed for causing cancer have proven effective in preventing botulism
• Cancer risks associated with processed meats are mild compared to the risk of food-borne illness when raw meat is used in cafeteria kitchens

The issue goes beyond that of health to one of freedom. The Cancer Project considers a ban of processed meat in school lunch a stepping stone toward eliminating hot dogs from the diet of all Americans, and have even filed lawsuits to have warning labels similar to that of cigarettes placed on the packaging of hot dogs.

The purpose of this website is to cut through the rhetoric and expose the facts of the issue so you can make an informed decision regarding your child's nutrition. If you feel hot dogs are unhealthy, petition your school locally to make changes in the lunch menu or send your kid to school with a healthy sack lunch. Don't let the government dictate what we as a nation are allowed to eat.