• Chicago Tribune, Thursday, May 21, 2009 11 AM

Sara Lee, maker of Ball Park frankfurters, doesn't like the fact that Kraft Foods, marketer of Oscar Mayer hot dogs, is running ads that claim one particular Oscar hot dog trumps the taste of Ball Park's entire line, Mike Hughlett reports. It's suing Kraft in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claiming that, for example, an ad that appeared in Wednesday's USA Today in conjunction with a giveaway of up to $1 million of Oscar Mayer hot dogs is "false and misleading."

The full-page ad claimed that Oscar Mayer Jumbo Beef Franks beat Ball Park and ConAgra Foods' Hebrew National hot dogs in a national taste test. But a footnote in tiny type says that Oscar Mayer compared its hot dogs to "the leading beef franks" of its main rivals. The suit also claims Oscar Mayer's contention that its Jumbo Beef franks are "100 percent pure beef" is false because they contain a host of other ingredients.

Sara Lee says Oscar Mayer's ads have been appearing in print media, on Oscar Mayer's Web site and in special promotions. In a statement, Kraft Foods said that it stands by its "reputation for accurate advertising" but it would not comment further because it had not yet reviewed the lawsuit.

Read the whole story at Chicago Tribune »