Meat and Meatless, Side by Side: Oscar Mayer Bets on Flexitarians

Last year, Oscar Mayer made history: for the first time in its 140-year run, the processed meat giant launched plant-based hot dogs. Now, it’s rolling out a new product that pairs those groundbreaking vegan dogs with, somewhat surprisingly, real meat. Which raises the question: who exactly is this for?

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Oscar Mayer’s EveryBun pack combines plant-based hot dogs with meat

According to Oscar Mayer, the new EveryBun packs are designed to cater to everyone. Each pack includes eight meat-based hot dogs and four Not Hot Dogs. 

The latter were developed in collaboration with The Kraft Heinz Not Company, a partnership between Chilean food innovator The Not Company and Kraft Heinz. They are smoky and juicy, just like the brand’s original meat-based hot dogs. Other products that have emerged from this groundbreaking partnership include dairy-free Kraft NotMac & Cheese and American-style NotCheese slices.

“Throughout the development of Oscar Mayer NotHotDogs and NotSausages, we leveraged key characteristics from our proprietary Oscar Mayer flavor profile to ensure we were mapping back to the savory and smoky experience fans have known and loved for over 140 years,” Danielle Watts, Associate Director of Marketing at The Kraft Heinz Not Company, told VegNews.

Oscar Mayer

Why mix vegan hot dogs with real meat?

Not all vegans will be interested in a product bundled with animal-based hot dogs. The EveryBun packs seem instead aimed at flexitarians, or mixed households of friends and families who want to please everyone without buying two separate products. Oscar Mayer says the packs were also designed to prevent cross-contamination. It seems that with this new product, Oscar Mayer is finding a new middle ground where meat and meatless products are designed to sit side by side—literally in the same package.

“As a brand obsessed with hot dogs, summer is our most important season, and we understand that not everyone can enjoy our iconic Oscar Mayer Wieners,” said Anna James, Brand Manager for Oscar Mayer. “With plant-based eating becoming more popular, we wanted to provide one easy, delicious solution for all, no matter what’s in the bun.”

Oscar Mayer targets LA, the flexitarian hot spot

The brand’s Wienermobiles will soon be giving away free EveryBun packs in Los Angeles. The city was chosen because it has “the highest concentrations of both hot dogs and plant-based eaters.”

Research backs this up: LA residents consume about 187 percent more vegan and vegetarian food than the average American. Nationwide, too, the flexitarian shift is clear. In 2021, about half of Americans described themselves as flexitarian, and a 2024 report found that 24 percent of Kroger shoppers were opting for plant-based refrigerated meats over animal-based ones.

As well as Los Angeles, the packs will also be tested in New York, Chicago, Boston, and Dallas, with a potential nationwide rollout if successful.