Lower priced “entry-tier” sausage lines containing an unusual blend of beef and chicken are now being offered in Coles, Woolworths and ALDI stores, a Beef Central scan of supermarket meat offerings shows.

The move to combine the rarely-paired proteins appears to be a response to rising cost of living pressures.

It is not unusual for proteins such as beef or veal to be combined with pork in mince packs as a base for traditional Italian Bolognese meals, but beef blended with chicken in the same product is less common in modern retail meat offerings.

What drew our attention to the product line was the inclusion of an “RSPCA Approved” chicken logo on a pack of Coles BBQ sausages at one of our local supermarkets.

At first glance the sausages in the pack had the visual appearance of containing beef, and the pack was also marked with the Coles beef “No added hormones” logo.

This is not to suggest that the products are mis-labelled or that the ingredients are not fully declared – the primary labels do not specify a protein and state that the sausages are “made with Australian meat”.

The ingredients list shows they contain 58 percent Australian beef and 15 percent RSPCA approved chicken:

A check at Woolworths showed it too has an entry-level “Market Value” line of sausages made with “100% Australian meat” with an ingredient list that also contains beef and “RSPCA Approved chicken”:

At ALDI stores we also spotted a line of “thin sausages” that do not specify a protein on the labelling, but state in the ingredients list that they contain 71 percent “Beef, Lamb or Chicken”.

Beef Central asked Coles and Woolworths about the unusual product lines this week and whether cost was a reason for the move.

A written statement from Coles said the product line was a way of offering “more choice” to consumers:

“At Coles, we are always looking for ways to offer our customers more choice, value and quality in our products. We launched our Coles Simply BBQ sausages in March last year, which are perfect for barbecuing and weeknight dinners.

 Customer feedback on these sausages has been positive, and we know they are staple for some Aussie families. Of course, we understand that different customers have different preferences – and we have a wide range of options available for our customers to choose from.”

A Woolworths statement more directly addressed the cost issue, explaining that sausages combining beef and chicken are part of an ‘entry-tier’ value offering in Woolworths’ range, and that chicken was only blended into another protein in its “Market Value” brand:

“Our Market Value brand is our ultra-value offering, typically providing the lowest unit prices in our meat range.

“Our Market Value sausages are made with a beef base, and occasionally with a smaller chicken proportion, which we vary based on market conditions to maintain value for our customers.

“Our main Woolworths brand range of sausages is a more premium offering and is formulated differently, with all the beef sausages made from 100 per cent beef.”

It is also worth noting that each supermarket Beef Central visited also offered a wide range of sausage products at higher price points made with single meat proteins.

“You are only as good as the snags you make”

 Not everyone is convinced the multi-protein sausages are a positive trend.

Billy Gibney is one of Brisbane’s leading independent butchers with two stores in Ashgrove and Rosalie/Paddington along with an online butcher and home delivery  business.

Brisbane butcher Billy Gibney, Meat at Billy’s

Asked if he thought many independent butchers would be combining beef and chicken in sausages he thought it was highly unlikely.

He said it was likely the move to include chicken in beef sausages was a strategy to bring the cost of producing the sausages down or to enable fattier beef to be included with the addition of chicken to “lean out” the final product.

“I am bewildered as to why they would even do that to be honest,” he told Beef Central.

“I know traditionally – I don’t ever do it my stores – but back in the day barbecue sausages were just whatever proteins were available.

“And it was not unusual in the larger scale supermarkets, but I thought they had stopped all that.”

He said that producing quality sausages was a cornerstone of a butcher’s business.

“A butcher is measured by his sausages, that is his signature I reckon,” he said.

“You are only as good as the snags you make.”

Labelling “can be misleading”

Arlene Doidge, managing director of McKays Family Butchers at Rowville, Vic, said her own butchers had not seen chicken added to beef sausages before.

“In my opinion, it is probably more economical to add chicken to the beef instead of having pure beef sausage for mass consumption.

“But I do think the labeling can be misleading as I believe the consumer thinks they are getting pure beef sausages.  But that is only my opinion.”

“As to our sausages, they are made on the premises with premium quality ingredients. All meat is Free Range and Grass Fed. There are no additives and are made with a natural skin. Our pork is organic and our chicken is chemical and hormone free.  There are no “fillers” meaning it is all fresh quality and sausages will last seven days.