Joey Chestnut, contestant of Nathan's famous 4th of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, stands next to Nathan's pet, Frankster, before the official weigh-in ceremony in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, USA, July 2, 2021.
Mordant Angus | Reuters
Nathan's famous 4th of July hot dog eating contest will have one less dog this year.
Major League Eating announced Tuesday that it will part ways with 16-time champion Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ahead of this year's competition, hosted by Nathan is famous.
Chestnut was previously offered a four-year, $1.2 million contract with MLE to participate in the hot dog competition, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
The decision to end the relationship comes after Chestnut chose to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs, the organization told CNBC in a statement. The New York Post reported that the brand is Impossible Foods, although the company told CNBC it could not confirm a partnership.
Impossible Foods offers plant-based hot dogs, which the company says are healthier and more environmentally friendly than the traditional meat version, with half the saturated fat of the animal version and 84% fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
For nearly two decades, contestants, including Chestnut, have worked under the same “hot dog exclusivity provisions,” the MLE said in a statement.
“Joey is a great champion and a friend, and he is loved at Coney Island and around the world. So I hope he will be there on the 4th of July as we celebrate Independence Day and change his choice to promote a vegetarian hot dog in instead of ours,” Major League Eating president Richard Shea told CNBC.
The MLE said it worked with Nathan's to accommodate Chestnut's requests, including allowing it to compete in a rival unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day that will be broadcast on an unnamed major platform.
Joey Chestnut holds the Guinness World Record for eating the most hot dogs in 10 minutes, a title he won in the annual hot dog eating contest in 2021.
Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest in Coney Island, New York, is a Fourth of July tradition and broadcast nationally on ESPN. It's also a marketing ploy for Nathan's Famous, whose flagship offering, the hot dog, is in decline.
Particularly with the rise of health-conscious eating habits and the growing importance of the wellness trend to consumers, the staple American hot dog is one of many processed foods whose sales have suffered.
