Quality sausages: how to choose a healthier sausage

Sausages are a classic Kiwi comfort food, a staple at barbecues - and for many households - a popular dinner option. Sausages don’t always have the best rep from a health perspective, but if you're purchasing them we have some helpful tips for you.

Here are six things to look for or consider:

Balance, balance, balance

Enjoy your sausages with plenty of colourful vegetables and a delicious side of carbs (e.g. potato, kumara, pasta). This is a good rule of thumb with any meal, but especially with a meal with sausages.

Portion sizes

There’s no clear-cut guide on how many sausages is a ‘portion’. Most brands suggest one sausage per serve, give or take. This is harder to measure if the snags are hiding in a casserole, so if you are eating them, we would suggest having approximately one whole sausage as part of a balanced meal.

Ingredients list

Look for sausages with a short and recognisable ingredients list. Whole, minimally processed ingredients such as lean meats (like beef or lamb), herbs, and spices are a good starting place. The order of the ingredients list shows the ingredients in the highest amount at the start and the lowest amount at the end. Keep an eye out for sausages with excessive amounts of visible fat - a good benchmark is ~80% meat in the ingredients list.

Lower sodium

Check the sodium content on the nutrition label and choose sausages with the least amount of sodium per 100g. You can also look for 'reduced sodium' sausage options where available, or those with a higher health-start rating.

Local or homemade options

Check out your local butcher shops or farmers' markets where you can find artisanal sausages made with care and attention to quality. They are often lower in sodium and higher in meat. You could also try making your own sausages at home using fresh, quality ingredients if you’re up for it.