• by Erik Oster , December 15, 2023

Hot dog, Impossible Foods has a weiner! The plant-based meat megalith will be offering an exclusive sneak-peek of its new Impossible Hot Dogs for one day only, passing out the animal-free frankfurters to hungry pedestrians in Midtown Manhattan this Saturday, Dec. 16 from 11-6, also free of charge.

The giveaway is designed to build excitement for Impossible’s latest innovation, which it claims offers a “similar cooking and sensory experience” to traditional, animal-based beef hot dogs, ahead of the wide release of Impossible Hot Dogs in restaurants and grocery stores in 2024.

“Hot dogs are an undeniably classic part of American culture and not to mention, they’re a burger’s best friend. It's long been a priority to add them to our product portfolio” Impossible Foods CEO and President Peter McGuinness said in a somewhat perplexing statement. (Hot dogs and burgers are clearly rivals, too enwrapped in competition for plate space to be friendly.)

Impossible Foods is promoting the giveaway, and upcoming product release, with social marketing through its Instagram channel – including a campaign video parodying Hallmark holiday movies.

Other elements promoting the release include an Impossible Hot Dog Sweatshirt giveaway,and a branded spin on the holiday yule log.

According to the brand, Impossible Hot Dogs account for around 84% less greenhouse gas emissions, 77% less water, and 83% less land use than their typical beef counterpart. Porcine comparisons were not available, but would likely fall somewhere in-between Impossible’s plant-based option and beef, given pork results in a little less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of beef and ranks third behind beef and lamb for its environmental impact, according to an Environmental Working Group report.

McGuinness added that the brand wants to demonstrate that “there’s really no compromise” in flavor when choosing its product over a traditional frankfurter, despite its relative health benefits. The brand suggests topping it with traditional hot dog toppings -- or, for a plant-based meatception experience, using Impossible Beef Chili.

While the product will mark Impossible Foods’ first hot dog, the brand – like competitor Beyond Meat – has previously offered a plant-based bratwurst product. Smart Dogs, first introduced in 1993 by Greenleaf Foods’ Lightlife,  are perhaps the mostly widely-known plant-based hot dog option currently on the market.