Today Americans are losing their interest in hot dog

Americans spent 1.7 billion USD on hot dogs last year & that is just at supermarkets. It does not count wieners purchased at restaurants & sports facilities or from street seller. And no day is better for hot dog consumption than the Fourth of July, when Americans are expected to eat near about 150 million of them, that is enough to stretch from Washington D.C., to Los Angeles more than 5 times.

While those numbers are counted high, overall hot dog sales are in down trend. According to IRI, a Chicago based market-research firm, sales dropped more than 3% in 2012 from 2011, following 2 consecutive years of small declines. Figures for this year are looking soft as well. The fall is surprising in light of the slow-moving economy—hot dogs are usually considered the ideal recession foodstuff.

Hot dogs are typically popular among children, for example, so the declining birth rate in America may be to blame. Changing immigration patterns & demographic profile may also act behind. Some study reveals that higher raw material costs are leading to higher retail price points. Consumers are very sensitive to that. The biggest challenge facing this industry is the constant rising costs of raw materials, especially beef prices, over the past few years, which usually translates into its falling fortunes.

According to Josh Ozersky - a food journalist & historian, the hot dog will become increasingly marginalized as the U.S. palate broadens. More Americans & especially younger Americans now eat nachos or tacos than hot dogs, he added. But what about the many outlets that serve nachos on hot dogs? It instantly indicates the desperate state of the hot dog. That is actually like a middle-aged Hollywood actress who gets Botox & breast implants to try to stay relevant.