The Hot Dog Recall That Disrupted New York City's Iconic Vendors

Few foods are more closely associated with the hustle and bustle of NYC than the city's iconic hot dogs, served from countless carts set on street corners throughout Manhattan and other boroughs. Though there might be differences in price, available toppings, or other food and drinks sold, there's one thing that's likely to be the same from stand to stand: the use of Sabrett hot dogs, the New York area's most popular brand. While this can allow diners to eat their franks confidently (not always an easy feat, considering how hot dogs are made), the flip side of this consistency is that when something goes wrong at the source, the effects are significant and widespread. That's exactly what happened following a Sabrett recall that occurred in 2017.

The issue came to light in June of that year when Marathon Enterprises Inc., the company behind Sabrett, discovered that nearly 7.2 million pounds of hot dogs, cocktail franks, sausages, and salami had been contaminated with bone fragments. Troublingly, one person suffered a minor mouth injury before the issue was brought to light.

A more significant impact was likely felt by New York's street food vendors who sold the Sabrett dogs beneath the familiar blue-and-yellow branded umbrellas shading many stands. Though recall rules allowed buyers to return their hot dogs for a refund, there's no replacing the time, hassle, and lost sales many likely faced as they dealt with the contaminated product and secured a replacement for hungry New Yorkers.

Beyond its namesake line of hot dogs, Sabrett's recall also affected brands including Papaya King, 1906 Premium, Western Beef, Katz's Delicatessen, and Stew Leonard's, further raising the number of affected businesses and individuals. The company blamed an "equipment installation issue" for the contamination and said it had been quickly addressed following complaints (via CNN). All told, this was one of the biggest hot dog recalls in U.S. history, though it's still less than half the size of the largest. In that case, food manufacturer Sara Lee recalled 15 million pounds of Ballpark hot dogs (among other brands) due to a Listeria outbreak that resulted in 15 deaths.

Due to the independent nature of New York's hot dog vendors, it's difficult to truly grasp the economic impact of a recall like the Sabrett incident. It's also challenging to determine whether there has been any long-term harm to Sabrett's brand, which closely identifies itself with the Big Apple and calls itself "New York's food ambassador to the world" on its website.

Thankfully, this recall is far in the past, with New Yorkers and tourists no doubt downing millions of dogs since the affected products were eliminated. However, if you'd still prefer to skip the stand, don't worry — there are plenty of other historic, delicious, and diverse places to get a hot dog in NYC.