Joey Chestnut exits plant-based partnership | Wilnesh News

Nathan’s famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest will eliminate one dog this year.

The Major League Eating Alliance announced Tuesday that it is parting ways with 16-time champion Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ahead of this year’s competition. nathan’s famous.

Chestnut previously signed a $1.2 million, four-year contract with MLE to compete in the hot dog contest, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC.

The group told CNBC in a statement that the decision to end the partnership came after Chestnut chose to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs. According to the New York Post The brand is Impossible Foods, but the company had no immediate comment.

one Account on X Late Tuesday, Chestnut said he was “heartbroken” when he learned from the media that he had been “banned” from participating in this year’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. CNBC has not independently verified the account.

The post also said: “Just to clarify, I am not under contract with MLE or Nathans and they are looking to change the rules over the past few years as it relates to other partners I can work with. This is obviously based on me being banned, but This will not affect July 4th events.

Impossible Foods offers plant-based hot dogs that the company claims are healthier and more environmentally friendly than traditional meat-based hot dogs, containing half the saturated fat of animal-based hot dogs and producing 84% fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

MLE said in a statement that contestants, including Chestnut, have been working under the same “hot dog exclusivity terms” for nearly two decades.

“Joey was a great champion and a friend who was loved in Coney Island and around the world. So I hope he can be there on the Fourth of July when we celebrate Independence Day and that he will change his choices. , promoting vegetarian hot dogs instead of our hot dogs,” Richard Shea, president of the Great American Diet, told CNBC.

MLE said it worked with Nathan to accommodate Chestnut’s requests, including allowing him to participate in a competitor’s unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day, which was live-streamed by an unnamed major platform.

Joey Chestnut holds the Guinness World Record for most hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes, a title he won at the 2021 Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Nathan’s famous hot dog eating contest in Coney Island, New York, is an Independence Day tradition and is broadcast nationally on ESPN. This is also the marketing strategy of Nathan’s Famous, whose signature hot dog sales are declining.

Especially with the rise of health-conscious eating habits and the growing importance of health trends to consumers, the American staple hot dog is one of many processed foods whose sales have been affected.