Anti-meat group sues Kraft, Sara Lee, ConAgra over hot dogs

NEWARK, N.J. -- Hot dogs may be as American as baseball and apple pie, but an anti-meat advocacy group says they're hazardous to your health and should carry warning labels.

The group, called the Cancer Project, wants to force hot dog makers to use warning labels. An offshoot of a pro-vegetarian organization, the Cancer Project filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Superior Court in Newark on behalf of three New Jersey residents. The defendants are Northfield-based Kraft Foods Inc., manufacturer of the Oscar Mayer brand; Downers Grove-based Sara Lee Corp.; Nathan's Famous; and Naperville-based ConAgra, makers of the Hebrew National, and Sabrett brands of New Jersey.

The lawsuit cites a report by the American Institute for Cancer Research that concluded regular consumption of processed meat can increase the risk of colorectal and other forms of cancer.