Hot dogs are everywhere around the Fourth of July, piled high with mustard, onions, chili, or sauerkraut and handed across backyard grills by the millions. Yet a new national survey suggests most Americans do not know what may come with them. A Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Morning Consult poll of 2,201 U.S. adults, conducted June 22 to 24, 2026, found that nearly half of Americans say they eat hot dogs two or three times each month. But when asked about the health risks of hot dogs, 49% said they had heard there were risks but were unsure what they were. In addition, another 40% said they did not know of any health risks. That finding lands at the start of peak hot dog season. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that Americans consume about 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day alone. That is enough to stretch from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles more than five times. The poll also found that 59% of respondents said they had eaten at least …