SMITHFIELD, Va., July 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the second consecutive year, Nathan’s Famous®, the Official Hot Dog of Major League Baseball (MLB), joined MLB at All-Star Week for its wide range of baseball-themed festivities in Washington, D.C., including a special All-Star Hot Dog Exhibition at FanFest, the Nathan’s Famous Mobile Tour at PLAY BALL Park and more.

Nathan’s Famous helped close-out GEICO All-Star FanFest on Tuesday afternoon with the brand’s exclusive All-Star Hot Dog Exhibition, featuring former MLB stars and current MLB Network personalities Cliff Floyd and Kevin Millar. Floyd and Millar ate side-by-side with some of Major League Eating’s (MLE) most awarded competitive eaters, including Hot Dog Eating World Champion Joey Chestnut and Women’s Hot Dog Eating Champion Miki Sudo. Just like the MLB All-Stars, the eaters were divided into National League and American League teams and went head-to-head to prove which team could consume more of the famed franks. In the end, it was the American League Eaters who were named the exhibition’s All-Stars, finishing 81 and a half hot dogs in just five minutes to top off the day.

“I was thrilled to participate in the Nathan’s Famous All-Star Hot Dog Exhibition again this year during FanFest. Getting to compete with a couple of MLB’s most popular personalities was a true treat for me as a fan,” said Joey Chestnut, MLE’s reigning hot dog eating champion. “There’s no better way to enjoy a baseball game than with a premium quality hot dog like Nathan’s Famous, and the same goes for All-Star Week, too!”

Prior to the event, fans lined up for a chance to meet and greet with some of their favorite MLE competitors including Chestnut and Sudo, as well as MLE Chairman and iconic emcee, George Shea.

During All-Star Week, Nathan’s Famous also hosted the Yellow Color Zone during The Color Run MLB All-Star 5K, presented by Nike. Additionally, Nathan’s Famous Mobile Tour provided hot dogs to PLAY BALL participants at the opening night of PLAY BALL Park and sampled the All Natural Beef Franks to PLAY BALL Park attendees throughout the week.

“As the Official Hot Dog of MLB, Nathan’s Famous is thrilled to be back at one of the most fun and iconic celebrations of the season, MLB All-Star Week,” said Michael Paribello, senior director of marketing for Smithfield Foods. “Baseball and hot dogs go hand in hand, and after their big win at Tuesday’s exhibition, no one knows that better than the eight Major League Eaters!”

For over 100 years, Nathan’s Famous has offered a variety of premium quality, beef hot dogs, with an impressive portfolio including natural casing, skinless, bun-length, angus, toppers, and the newest All Natural hot dogs, among others in the brand’s product lineup. Smithfield Foods is the licensee of Nathan’s Famous pre-packaged hot dogs, selling a wide variety of beef franks at more than 20,000 supermarkets and wholesale club stores across the country.

Nathan’s Famous products are available at grocery retailers nationwide. Check your local retailer for exact pricing. For more recipe inspiration and information about Nathan’s Famous, please visit www.nathansfamous.com or www.facebook.com/nathansfamous.

About Nathan's Famous®

Nathan's is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and twelve foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities. Last year, over 550 million Nathan's Famous hot dogs were sold. Nathan's was ranked #22 on the Forbes 2014 list of the Best Small Companies in America and was listed as the Best Small Company in New York State in October 2013. For additional information about Nathan's, please visit our website at www.nathansfamous.com.

About Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus® and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

Contact:
Hunter PR on behalf of Nathan’s Famous
Megan Milano
MMilano@HunterPR.com
(212) 679-6600

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a1cb3486-4ebb-4bc5-81f2-090578fad0f7

A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d504dd21-ab3d-4e92-959c-50c92c480ea9