Applegate Hits the Road to Give Americans a Frank Look at Hot Dogs

Hot Dog Tour Takes the Mystery Out of Meat, Brings Food, Art and Play Together

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May 17, 2011, 08:00 ET

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Applegate, the country's leading producer of natural and organic meats and cheeses, will hit Radio 92.9 EarthFest in Boston on Saturday, May 21 to give away thousands of organic hot dogs and show festival goers why Applegate franks cut the mustard and how a cleaner planet can start with a cleaner wiener.

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The Applegate tour aims to show meat lovers from Boston to Chicago this summer how the company makes cleaner, great-tasting versions of hot dogs and other meats that Americans enjoy.

"Not all meat that's labeled natural is created equal and unfortunately there's a lot of confusion out there," said Chris Ely, co-founder of Applegate and Farmer Liaison. "Our tour is here to clear up the confusion and help people taste the difference. Hot dogs are probably the last food people think about starting on the farm, but for Applegate, that's where real natural food starts."

Tour attendees will relish free Applegate Great Organic Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs served hot off a grill that will travel on the Applegate bio-fuel bus. Visitors can learn about the differences between natural, organic and conventional meat, and kids can create and play on an innovative play structure called Imagination Playground, a breakthrough play space concept designed to encourage child-directed, unstructured free play, dreaming and exploration.

As part of the tour, Applegate has partnered with public art nonprofit Albus Cavus. Tour visitors will be encouraged to share their food stories in different art media with the encouragement and direction of Albus Cavus artists. The collection of art "stories" will then be assembled into a mural at the end of the tour and donated.

At EarthFest, the tour will be at the Whole Foods Market Vendor Village, and Grammy-winning musician Dan Zanes will perform his family-friendly folk music and give away autographed CDs.

"We will be visiting festivals, concerts, fairs and other events where families gather so we can give them a taste of Applegate, take the mystery out of the meat that they love to eat and give back to communities across the country," said Steve McDonnell, Applegate Founder and CEO. In addition to the official tour stops, Applegate will surprise hometown heroes – people who sustain the community and keep us safe, healthy and happy – with a free lunch. "At Applegate we're committed to sustainability – not only in how we grow and produce our food but how we support our community," said McDonnell. People can visit www.applegate.com to nominate hometown heroes who often don't get the kudos they deserve.

The Applegate tour started in early May near Washington, DC at the Sweetlife Festival, an annual celebration of music, wholesome food, and thoughtful living. For a look at the tour, click on http://www.youtube.com/user/ApplegateFarms#p/c/D531E48E8AA2219E/1/Gta-4PwpqxI

After EarthFest, the tour will move on to neighborhood festivals in the New York City area, various cities in the Midwest and end in Chicago at Kidzapalooza. For more information on the Applegate Tour, visit www.applegate.com.

By the end of the tour in August, Applegate will have given away more than 100,000 Applegate Great Organic Beef Hot Dogs and $100,000 worth of coupons.

Applegate and the Community

Applegate is involved in many community and education efforts surrounding food. Applegate supports the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, works with the Healthy Schools Campaign and Growing Great and provided funding for the new school lunch documentary "Lunch Line." To learn more about Applegate's efforts, visit www.applegate.com. For information on "Lunch Line," visit www.lunchlinefilm.com.

About Applegate

For more than 20 years, Applegate has been producing high-quality natural and organic hot dogs, bacon, sausages, deli meats, cheese and frozen products. Natural can mean many things, but when Applegate says their products are natural, consumers are guaranteed that the meat inside is:

Raised without antibiotics or hormones
From animals fed a vegetarian or 100% grass diet and treated with humane animal standards
Free of added chemical nitrites, nitrates or phosphates
Free of artificial ingredients or preservatives

For more information about our products, visit www.applegate.com

SOURCE Applegate