I’m not going to lie, I love a good street dog. Since I gave up meat in my teens, I’ve slathered on roadside sauerkraut, mustard and onions on jumbo-sized Yves veggie dogs at dozens of Toronto hot dog stands over the decades. That doesn’t mean I believe the stuff is good for me. I’ve written about the perils of soy protein isolate here (on the hexane in veggie burgers) and here (in my 2004 Say it Ain’t Soy news feature), I’ve also written about the pseudo natural meat companies telling us their meat is naturally preserved with celery powder when that can be a really high source of the same nitrates/nitrites added to conventional processed meat. A little while later, CBC Marketplace did a big show on it which finally pushed Maple Leaf to at least divulge on its labels that their celery powder is a natural source of nitrates. But that hasn’t stopped their big “we’re better for kids” push. Anyway, since it is prime BBQ season, figured I’d cook up a proper Ecoholic test kitchen guide to both veggie and meat hot dogs. These are the options on hand in my neck of the world, so if you’ve got other suggestions for better options available near you, go ahead and mention ’em in the comments section.

Also in this column, a super cool razor sharpener, Nature Notes on Manitoba’s pesticide ban, the latest church to divest from fossil fuels (praise Jesus!) AND a break down of Ontario’s new (proposed) Waste Reduction Act and how it may very well spell the end of welfare for waste. For all the trashy details, read on...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•