Are Hot Dogs Better When They’re Kosher?
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Are Hot Dogs Better When They’re Kosher?
Uncle Sam stands in front of a deep blue sky, smiling and holding a hot dog. A strong voice booms out. It explains that Hebrew National hot dogs go beyond government meat regulations — these wieners contain no frozen meat, artificial colors, meat byproducts, or non-meat fillers.
“We're kosher,” the voice says, as the 1975 TV commercial fades to blue sky, “and have to answer to an even higher authority.”
It didn’t seem to matter that most religious Jews didn’t (and don’t) consider Hebrew National to be kosher. (There are kosher symbols whose religious authority isn't trusted by basically any kosher Jew. Triangle K is one of the most notorious of this bunch. That's the kosher certification that Hebrew National hot dogs have. )
Nor did it matter that “kosher” is only a set of religious laws and doesn’t prohibit frozen beef or artificial colors. Hebrew National used the word “kosher” for its meat, and the non-Jewish public understood it as a mark of quality and health.
Today, more than 40 percent of packaged foods and beverages sold in the U.S. are certified kosher. Just about every non-Jew in America has bought kosher food at one time or another, whether unwittingly or not. Some go out of their way to partake in kosher food for health and safety reasons, according to Lubicom, a marketing consulting firm focused on kosher food.
Hebrew National’s marketing of kosher has had a hand in this.
The company first started selling sausages in New York City in 1905. A year later, Upton Sinclair's “The Jungle” came out and made people more concerned about the sanitary conditions of meat-packing plants. Hebrew National successfully assured people that its hot dogs surpassed government regulations for cleanliness and quality because it had to: Its meat was kosher.
Then in 1962, Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” showed the effects of pesticides on the environment.
“There [was] much more information and publicity around harm of pesticides and harm that can come to you from food,” says Sue Fishkoff, author of “Kosher Nation” and editor of J. the Jewish News of Northern California. “And the idea that another pair of eyes — religious eyes — was looking at the process of food manufacturing made many people feel more comfortable.”
Three years after “Silent Spring,” Hebrew National started using its famous “we answer to a higher authority” slogan. And then came the commercial in 1972. Uncle Sam and God endorsed Hebrew National hot dogs in one of the most religious of countries.
This longtime marketing has contributed to this idea of kosher products, especially meat, being of higher quality.
“Although it didn't single-handedly change the reputation of kosher food in this country, it encapsulated it in such a brilliant ad,” says Fishkoff. “God plays well in America.” 🌭
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Idk if kosher is better, I love hot dogs! But to be honest I love a brat more. Fave hotdog brand is probably Ballpark, HATE Dodger dogs. No one wants a skinny weiner.