Australia: Sausage sales are booming

06-03-2009 | Home | News

Sydney butchers are seeing booming sales of sausages, with reports allocating the increase to the fact that they are convenient for children who cannot chew proper meat.

“Sausages are absolutely massive right now. They’ve become a high-quality, gourmet thing, they’d be 25% of business by value,” said Ron Stapleton, chairman of the Australian Meat Industry Council’s retail section in NSW.

According to Stapleton, sales of rissoles, burgers and plain, cooking mince – for dishes such as spaghetti bolognese, “the most popular meat meal in Australia” – would increase that figure to 40%.

Value in recession
Stapleton further stated that mince based meals are not only seen as value in times of recession but they are also convenient, nutritional and, most important, attractive to children. “A lot of kids today, they’re so used to soft, junk food they don’t know how to chew proper meat. Give them something a bit tough and they can’t do it. Sausages are perfect for them,” he says.

Stapleton makes between 800-1000 kg of sausages a week has also said that they offer an ideal package for feeding children vegetables, which they might reject when served separately. The rise in sales coincides with a national TV campaign which promotes the versatility of mince, planned six months ago by the meat industry council.

Drop in ‘sweet cuts’
The state’s 800 independent butchers may experience a drop in sales of more expensive, “sweet cuts” such as Scotch fillet, at up to $40 a kilogram, but they hope the loss will be offset by a rise in business as more people are doing home cooking.