THE ADMINISTRATION

Looking After The Hotdog

Despite reports to the contrary, it is the hot dog, not apple pie, that is the supremely typical American dish. Or at least it used to be, before it fell on evil times. These days, an Agriculture Department hearing was told last week, franks average as much as 32.% fat, 11% more than the franks of the '50s. Some go as high as 51%--leading to the question of whether the product should be called a fatfurter.

It is clearly an intolerable condition. To set things straight, Mrs. Virginia Knauer, President Nixon's adviser on consumer affairs, proposed a maximum fat limit of 30%. She would also require manufacturers to tell on the label exactly what is inside--something dog-food sellers have long had to do. Often more concerned about industry than the consumer, the department was at first stubborn.

Mrs. Knauer, though, will probably have the last word. Nixon himself telephoned her to express approval. Recalling days long ago, Nixon almost recited an ode to the hot dog. "Stick to your guns, Virginia," he said. "I'm behind you 100%. I came from humble origins. Why, we were raised on hot dogs and hamburgers. We've got to look after the hot dog." It may not have sounded like Keats, but to millions of hot-dog-loving Americans, it undoubtedly sang just as sweetly.

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