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(a) I like them
(b) it's something the kids and I can both eat, but
(c) I can't eat wheat and most sausages contain rusk.
In an ideal world I'd be able to choose a sausage without wheat made from a pig that had a good life and a swift and painless death not far from the point of production. Generally if I'm eating sausage it's either the M&S ones (they use pea starch, not rusk) or the ASDA gluten free ones. I've tried others from local butchers but they're generally too salty for my palate....not a health issue for me, I just don't like the taste.
When I'm reaching for the pack of bangers at high speed I have to take it on trust that M&S and ASDA have reasonable welfare requirements agreed with their suppliers. The Which article mentions the Good Little Company and Debbie & Andrews, which I haven't tried.
The author is a nutritionist and "food expert". She cites six different labels relating to welfare on sausages and says this is 'confusing':
(1) The Red Tractor Scheme (farmers observing more than 130 standards relating to pig welfare...inspected four times a year by specialist pig vets...used by ASDA amongst others).
(2) Freedom Food: The RSPCA scheme used by Sainsbury's, the Black Farmer and the Co-Op.
(3) The Union Flag (not really a 'welfare' label but means farmed in UK: she mentions Debbie & Andrews as not having any other 'welfare' label).
There's no mention of Marks & Spencer and I don't know whether the Freedom Food ones contain rusk, so I guess that leaves me with ASDA gluten-free for my preferred sausage, egg & chips (let's not further complicate the thing with other health issues shall we?
).The article gives three other descriptions and what they mean:
(4) Outdoor-bred: Pigs kept in a field until weaned
(5) Outdoor-reared: Pigs remain outside for half their lives - until 30kg.
(6) Free-range: Whole life outside. The author says only Jimmy's Farmers Range are free range.
Generally I've assumed that most consumers don't equate sausages with live pigs so it's interesting to see at least a column on animal welfare in a consumer article talking about sausages. I'm not sure the welfare message quite gets across because free range doesn't mean high welfare; some of those piggies are better off spending their early days indoors....although I'll certainly give Jimmy's Farmers Free Range Sausages a try if I ever see them.
Personally I think it's great that businesses are prepared to tell you if your sausage came from outdoor-reared piggies but if this author thinks these six labels are confusing to consumers...what hope for pig welfare?
You can read more by clicking here.
Amongst other things the proposals call for an "an un-stunned slaughter label" so consumers can choose not to buy products produced from animals who were still awake when their throats were cut and a "EU-wide voluntary labelling scheme for meat and dairy products, to help consumers make more informed choices".