NORFOLK, Va. — When the Norfolk-headquartered animal rights organization heard this hot news, they just couldn't turn down their opportunity.
On February 16, PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) President Ingrid Newkirk wrote a letter to the CEO of Kraft Heinz, the food giant responsible for the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and many other food products.
Newkirk was told that a catalytic converter was stolen off a Wienermobile, which is a beloved sight to see for many while the vehicle is on promotional road trips across the country, while parked in Las Vegas.
As such, PETA was willing to help cover the cost of replacing the catalytic converter to get the wiener back on the road. But there was a catch.
"PETA is willing to cover the cost of the replacement part and the maintenance of the vehicle for one year if you convert it into a Not Dogmobile or something similar," Newkirk wrote. "With the rising demand for vegan hot dogs and following last year’s report about the potential for Oscar Mayer Not Hot Dogs, now is the perfect time to put the brakes on an old idea and make a shift."
That's right. PETA wants one of the iconic members of the long-time fleet to become a veggie dog instead.
"Since Americans’ appetite for cruelty-free foods is only growing, we hope you’ll relish this opportunity to ketchup with the trend by having at least one veggie dog mobile," she concluded in her letter.
A representative from Kraft Heinz sent a response to 13News Now:
"We received the letter, and respectfully declined their offer as our Wienermobile is all fixed up and back on the road," they wrote.
"Giving people a variety of high-quality, delicious food options is important to us, and we have long offered many plant-based options. We recently announced new plant-based Philadelphia cream cheese. We’re also excited to expand our plant-based offering via our joint venture with NotCo and have already announced Kraft NotCo plant-based cheese slices, as well as mayo."