CHICAGO — The nation’s two largest hot-dog makers took their legal beefs Monday to federal court, where a judge will determine whether Oscar Mayer or Ball Park broke false-advertising laws in their bids to become top dog.
As the bench trial got underway, U.S. Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow cast his eyes across the courtroom and said: “Let the wiener wars begin.”
The battle pits Chicago-area companies Sara Lee Corp., which makes Ball Park franks, against Kraft Foods Inc., which makes Oscar Mayer wieners, in a case that could clarify how far companies can go when boasting that their product is better than a competitor’s.
Sara Lee fired the first volley in a 2009 lawsuit singling out Oscar Mayer ads that bragged its dogs beat Ball Park’s in a national taste test. It argued that the tests were flawed, including by serving the hot dogs to participants sans buns or condiments. Another focus of the trial is Kraft’s claim that its Oscar Mayer Jumbo Beef Franks are “100 percent pure beef.” Sara Lee says the claim is false and casts aspersions on Ball Park franks. The Associated Press
