July is National Hot Dog month, which makes sense since patriotic folks barbecue an estimated 150 million franks on July 4th alone. But a recent survey from organic meat producer Applegate suggests that the hot dog’s status as an American staple could be in jeopardy.

That’s because there’s a growing concern about what exactly is packed into those wiener casings. According to the survey, 74 percent of the 1,045 respondents think the hot dog is a “low quality food.”

“Hot dogs have become the poster child for “mystery meat,” and it’s no wonder with ingredients like sodium diacetate and partially hydrolyzed beef stock on most conventional hot dog labels,” explained Applegate CEO Stephen McDonnell. “Our survey found that many people have a love-hate relationship with hot dogs, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”

More From 97.3 The Dawg