Heinz Tries to Broker A Deal

The tyranny has gone on long enough.

As families fire up the grill this Memorial Day weekend, they’ll once again be met with a grave injustice.

Hot dogs come in packs of 10, while buns come in packs of 8.

It’s a popular complaint among shoppers and grillmasters that’s been around for generations with no end in sight.

Heinz wanted to change that.

The ketchup and condiment company created The Heinz Hot Dog Pact.

The campaign includes a landing page and anthem video calling on “Big Bun and Big Wiener companies” to align on 10 hot dogs and 10 buns per package.

Best of all, Heinz committed to the bit by creating a real change.org petition that’s garnered nearly 34,000 signatures.

A Brand Ambassador

The real reason behind the longstanding ingredient imbalance has to do with established food manufacturing practices. It takes 10 standard hot dogs to make an even pound, and most baking trays hold two clusters of four buns, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

By taking up the cause, Heinz pays off its role as “the condiment that has been bringing foods together for over 150 years.”

The campaign actually launched in 2021. Was it successful?

The bun-to-dog discrepancy still exists on plenty of grocery store shelves, but the effort generated a lot of coverage for Heinz, including enthusiastic support from Stephen Colbert on The Late Show.

While Heinz claimed not to have any skin in the game, it’s worth noting the Kraft Heinz Company owns brands with major ties to Big Bun and Big Wiener. This includes Oscar Mayer, which pledged to make special two-bun packs if its announcement got 5,700 retweets. (It didn’t.)

Still, it’s tough to fault the brand for a clever campaign that celebrated its role in the hot dog experience and tried to heal this country just a little bit.