Supermarket giants cut pork in sausages but raise the price...

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Cost has risen by up to 62pc in four years, Which? survey reveals



Supermarket giants have cut the amount of meat in their pork sausages while still raising the price.

Tesco, Britain’s leading food retailer, has reduced the pork content of its Finest range from 97 per cent four years ago to 90 per cent.

Premium sausages at Marks & Spencer have gone from 97 per cent to 90 per cent over the same period, and the standard ones from 78 per cent to 75 per cent.

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference is down from 97 per cent to 93 per cent.

The findings are based on a comparison between figures from a Which? survey in 2019 and now.

Meanwhile, prices have risen for all these sausages over the past four years by at least a quarter, and up to 62.5 per cent for Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference.

Pork is pricier than sausage fillers like water and rusk. Supermarkets cut the meat content to save on costs, retail experts and butchers say.

Sausages at other supermarkets, and those from brands like Heck, had the same amount of pork as 2019. But prices were up across the board.

The amount of pork varied, from 97 per cent down to 42 per cent, the minimum allowed for pork sausages.

Waitrose No1 and Aldi specially selected are both 97 per cent pork, as they were in 2019.

Morrisons The Best sausages now have 90 per cent pork, up five percentage points.

Richmond, the leading brand in supermarkets, contains 42 per cent pork.

Tim Wilson, founder of The Ginger Pig, which has eight butcher’s shops around London, said: “It doesn’t surprise me if there is some pork being substituted, taking some pork out and putting some rusk in saves money. Pork trim uses for sausages will cost supermarkets five times as much as rusk.”

Mr Wilson said the pork content at butchers should be the same, since their situation is different to supermarkets.

“We make our sausages to use up our pork trim – the off-cuts from shoulders and loin. We generate a lot of trim and the only way to get rid of the trim is to use it in sausages. There is no point in butchers adding more rusk as we can only sell a certain amount of sausages per week anyway.

“On the other hand, supermarkets are buying pork in.”

Sue Davies, Which? head of food and policy, said: “While shoppers may be deterred from buying a product if they can see the packet getting smaller or the prices going up, they are less likely to notice manufacturers and supermarkets quietly reducing the amount of pork in sausages.

“However, a higher pork content doesn’t necessarily guarantee a better tasting sausage. If you’re concerned about meat content, be sure to check the label when shopping.”

Tesco said it adjusted the pork content in its Finest sausages in 2021 to make it healthier.

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Tesco said it adjusted the pork content in its Finest sausages in 2021 to make it healthier.