Are Kirkland Hot Dogs Dairy-Free? (Explained!)

Kirkland hot dogs can be found in the food court of your nearest Costco. It could be the whole reason you go there.

There are often deals on where you can pair your hot dog with your favorite soda, and it’s extremely cheap. Not only that, but they’re super tasty. 

But often, when you’re out, your stomach gets the better of you, you consume the hot dog in under a minute and you can forget to check the ingredients.

If you have any allergies or you’re on a certain diet, it’s important to check, because you may be surprised!

So, are Kirkland hot dogs dairy-free? The Kirkland hot dogs ingredients list doesn’t have any milk-containing products, however, hot dog manufacturers don’t have to legally declare them. It’s hard to be 100% sure with hot dogs and we’ll explain in further detail why. We’ll give you all the information you need and let you take it from there.

Why Aren’t Hot Dogs Dairy-Free?

Pick any hot dog from an aisle at the store at random, and there is a good chance that it’ll contain dairy.

Most processed meat products, including hot dogs, deli meats, and sausages will have some kind of milk in them. In hot dogs? It’s something you wouldn’t necessarily expect, right? 

Often, milk proteins are added to hot dog products as a filler or to extend their shelf life. By doing that, the manufacturer uses less meat, resulting in a lower production cost.

And unfortunately, they can get away with it too.

Hot dog manufacturers aren’t required to highlight any allergens in their products. Because of this, it’s extremely easy to overlook milk-containing ingredients and could result in some issues.

Therefore, you must make sure that you examine all the ingredients thoroughly. If manufacturers aren’t highlighting allergens for you, then you’ll have to be extra cautious. 

If you’re on a dairy-free diet, you might want to familiarize yourself with what’s suitable and what’s not. Sometimes, ingredients can be hidden under different categories and manufacturers get away with it. But this can become a great risk to their consumers. 

Read also: Who Makes Kirkland Hot Dogs?

Kirkland Hot Dogs

Costco used to produce Kosher hot dogs called Hebrew National Quarter Pounder Beef Frank. As meat and dairy combined as non-kosher, these were certified to be dairy-free.

However, to the dismay of many consumers, Costco stopped selling these kosher hot dogs in 2009 and switched to Kirkland hot dogs, which have remained in their stores since. 

As hot dog manufacturers can potentially hide milk-containing ingredients, it’s difficult to be 100% sure if Kirkland hot dogs are dairy-free.

Although, one factor that suggests that they are dairy-free is that Costco claims that their hot dogs are 100% beef.

The key reason that milk proteins are used in processed meat products is as a filler to reduce the amount of meat used.

Therefore, if it’s 100% beef, then the milk proteins surely aren’t necessary. 

While this does indicate that Kirkland hot dogs are likely to be dairy-free, you should still proceed with caution, because it’s not 100% clear.

Kirkland hot dogs are declared to be gluten-free, yet there’s limited information about dairy. 

With the lack of allergen information from other hot dog brands, you can’t always be certain.

If you have severe dairy allergies, then it’s potentially too risky to consume Kirkland hot dogs without any further investigation.

If you’re going into the Costco store and purchasing from the food counter, you should be able to enquire about the allergen information with the staff.

If you have any concerns, they should disclose the correct information to you.

Kirkland Hot Dogs Ingredients

So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it all. We’ll take a look at the ingredients for Kirkland hot dogs, and see what exactly Costco states are in them.

The ingredients are:

• Beef
• Salt
• Water
• Spices
• Garlic
• Paprika and extractive
• Dextrose
• Sodium nitrate
• Sodium lactate
• Sodium diacetate
• Sodium erythorbate

As you can see from this list, there’s nothing that immediately states that there are any dairy-containing ingredients in them. 

Nutritional Information

If you’re trying to gauge as much information about a food product as possible, you might be curious about its nutritional information.

It’s important to know about the health benefits and risks of what you’re consuming, especially if you’re adhering to a certain diet.

The serving size for Kirkland’s hot dogs is 1 link (approx 57g). Each serving contains 14g fat, 2g carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 8g protein, and 170 calories. 

So, looking at this nutritional information, what can we determine? Kirkland hot dogs are high in fat – in fact, 130 calories come from the fat. Consuming too much fat can raise your cholesterol which could lead to health risks like stroke or heart disease.

However, providing they’re consumed as part of a balanced diet, they’re okay for you to eat. 

Conclusion

From looking at the ingredients, Kirkland hot dogs appear to be safe to consume on a dairy-free diet, although it’s not 100% certain.

Other hot dog brands do contain dairy, and so with limited allergen information about this brand, it’s your call.

References

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/

https://www.nutritionix.com/i/kirkland-signature/beef-dinner-franks/