Oscar Mayer

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Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut production company, now owned by Kraft Foods, that is famous for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon and Lunchables products.

German immigrant Oscar Ferdinand Mayer began working at a meat market in Detroit, Michigan and then later in Chicago, Illinois. In 1883 in Chicago, Oscar Mayer leased the Kolling Meat Market along with his brother, Gottfried Mayer. The two brothers sold bratwurst, liverwurst and weißwurst and were very popular in the predominantly German neighborhood of Chicago where the market was located.

As the meat market grew in popularity, it expanded its storefront and sponsored local events including the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. By 1900, the company had 43 employees and a Chicago-wide delivery service. In 1904, Oscar Mayer began branding their meats to capitalize on their popularity, beginning an industry-wide trend. In 1906, Oscar Mayer became one of the first companies to voluntarily submit to the newly-created Food Safety Inspection Service (part of the United States Department of Agriculture) for testing the purity of their products.

One well-known advertising jingle:

My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R

My bologna has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R

Oh, I love to eat it every day, and if you ask me why, I'll say,

"'Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A."

Another, written in 1963 by Richard D. Trentlage:

Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener

That is what I truly wish to be

'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener

Everyone would be in love with me.

Oscar Mayer is also famous for their Wienermobile, which has toured the United States for over 70 years.

Oscar Mayer today

Kraft Foods is now a subsidiary of Altria Group, formerly known as Phillip Morris.

External links

[Oscar Mayer Homepage]

Kraft brands
Capri Sun \| Crystal Light \| Dairylea \| General Foods \| Jell-O \| Kool-Aid \| Kraft Dinner \| Maxwell House \| Oscar Mayer \| Post Cereals \| Tang \| Toblerone \| Vegemite

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