Sara Lee Sues Kraft in Hot Dog Dispute

It’s a battle of the supermarket hot dog titans! Sara Lee, maker of Ball Park Franks, is suing Kraft for claiming that their Oscar Mayer weiners taste better. Well, sort of, according to a Tribune report. Sara Lee asserts that Kraft’s ad says that a certain type of Oscar Mayer hot dog is more delicious than Sara Lee’s entire line of Ball Park dogs. Small print in the ad indicates that the Oscar Mayer weiner was only compared to “the leading beef franks” of competitor hot dog companies. (Everybody following that?)

Our theory: Sarah Lee feels that some of their lesser-performing or non-beef Ball Park dogs would kick Oscar’s ass, but were left out of the comparison because they were neither leading nor beef. The more likely theory: Kraft’s ad contains contradictions between the splashy claim and the fine print. Sarah Lee is also riled enough to accuse Kraft’s beef dogs of being less than 100 percent beef. Scandalous! The trial is, appropriately, happening right here in Chicago. [Tribune]

[Photo: scorpions and centaurs/Flickr]

Sara Lee Sues Kraft in Hot Dog Dispute