Celebrating BOTH National Junk Food Day, and National Hot Dog Day.

Do you have a sweet tooth? Or do you find yourself constantly craving something salty or crunchy to snack on? Well, tomorrow is the day to indulge in all of your crazy cravings.

Did you know that the average American eats nearly 25-pounds of candy every year? Even more, each American will consume about 45-slices of pizza every year. That’s a lot of junk food!

Tomorrow, grab yourself some popcorn at the movies, order fries at the drive through, or have a tub of ice cream all to yourself. It is the perfect excuse to treat yourself to at least one of your guilty pleasures!

and.......

Hot dogs are one of the most iconic American foods. Seriously – no cookout or baseball game would be complete without a delicious hot dog served on a bun and covered in whatever you want - ketchup, mustard, onions, relish, or chili.

Hot dogs (which are also known as frankfurters, franks, wieners and dogs…if you like spicy, try red hots) have been around since the late 1800s. The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council estimates that Americans consume 2-billion hot dogs a year! Whether they’re grilled, boiled, broiled, pan-fried, rotisserie cooked, cooked on a stick over a campfire or any other way, hot dogs are a serious summertime staple.

The National Hot Dog Day and Sausage Council created National Hot Dog Day in 1991 to fall on the same day as the annual Capitol Hill Hot Dog Lunch, which isn’t happening this year (for some insane reason).

Here are some fun facts about Hot Dogs...

According to data for the year 2020, Americans spent more than $7.68-billion on hot dogs and sausages in American Supermarkets.

Also in 2020, 944.3-million pounds of hot dogs were sold at retail stores. That number represents more than $2.8-billion in retail sales.

Americans will eat 26.8-million hot dogs in major league ballparks - that's enough to stretch from Dodgers' Stadium in Los Angeles to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida!

On average, 450 hot dogs are eaten every second of every day in the United States or an average of about 70 dogs per person.

On the Fourth of July, Americans will enjoy 150-million hot dogs! That’s enough to stretch from D.C. to Los Angeles more than five times.

During peak hot dog season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume seven-billion hot dogs during the season, which runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. That’s 818 hot dogs per second and more than a third of the hot dogs eaten per year.

The Council estimates Americans will consume more than 2-billion hot dogs during this month, which also happens to be National Hot Dog Month!

Hot dogs are served in 95% of homes in the United States.

While most hot dogs are eaten at home, 15% are purchased from street vendors, 9% are purchased at ball parks.

Mustard remains the most popular hot dog topping – 87% of hot dog eaters use it.

Los Angeles residents consume more hot dogs than any other city (more than 39-million), beating out New York and Philadelphia.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined. How many is that? 725,000.

The Top Ten Hot Dog Consuming Cities For 2020

(they don’t have 2021 tabulated yet)

Los Angeles

New York City

Dallas/Ft. Worth

Chicago

Philadelphia

Boston

Houston

Atlanta

Tampa

Phoenix

The baseball fans love of the hot dog is why all top ten hot dog consuming cities host MLB teams (this information is based on sales data for the previous year and expected attendance for the upcoming season).

Summer also means travel – so what are you to do when you're abroad and have a hankerin' for a hot dog? Here's a primer on what hot dogs are called in other languages:

Spanish – Perrito Caliente

Italian – Caldo cane

French – Chien chaud

German – Heisser Hund or Wurst

Portugese – Cachorro quento

Swedish – Korv or varmkorv

Norwegian/Danish – Grillpolser

Czech – Park v rohliku

Dutch – Worstjes

Finnish – Makkarat

Now, go grab a Hot Dog or any other Junk Food that sounds good to you and Enjoy!

Rick Lovett

About Rick Lovett