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The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) published a survey on sausages in September 2003. This was based on anlysis of 65 branded sausages. The key findings were:
- Standard sausages have higher salt levels then when they were last tested in 1991.
- Brand leader Richmond Irish Recipe had the highest salt content - one portion of its sausages contains 35% of an adult's recommended daily salt intake.
- There is a large difference between salt contents - a portion of M&S Premium Pork Sausages or Co-op

- Butchers Select only contained 15% of the recommended daily salt intake.
- The sausages with the highest salt content were: Richmond Irish, Walls Thick, Sainsburys Pork, Tesco Pork & Beef, Iceland Pork & Beef, Tesco Vegetarian Lincolnshire and Linda McCartney vegetarian.
- The average fat content of premium sausages has increased.
- Overall the average fat and salt content had fallen, this is due to the emergence of reduced fat sausages.

Source: www.sausagelinks.co.uk

"The secret of the successful "economy" sausage these days lies not so much in strange offals but in fat and protein engineering. Pig rind is an essential ingredient in the protein engineer's toolbox. Frozen, imported, chopped to a slurry and soaked with hot water, it produces a bargain blancmange which can make up 30-35% of the sausage and still be called meat. Manufacturers' handbooks recommend rind emulsion because its high protein content boosts the nitrogen counts which are the basis for tests to determine the meat content of products ... Those who most need the best - growing children, the elderly, those in hospital - nearly always eat the worst." - The Guardian, London 2003.

"We feed our pigs the best possible wheatgerm, the best milk, the best soya. Yet people feed their children rubbish. Funny, isn't it?" - Bernard Hoggarth, proprietor Cranswick Gourmet Sausage Company, UK.

Melbourne, July 11 2008: Australia’s famous sausage sangers are now under attack for their "extreme salt content", say reports.
A review of almost 200 sausages, bread and sauce products found on supermarket shelves revealed that one single sausage sandwich at a barbecue contains an adult''s daily recommended dose of salt, and double that suggested for a child.
Only two per cent of the 44 sausage and hotdog brands, and 16 per cent of the 43 white bread products matched the recommended guidelines.
The researchers found that some sausages contained over three times as much salt as others.
Even dozens of tomato and barbecue sauce brands failed to make the cut.
" That''s an incredible salt overload on its own, let alone with everything else you eat in a day," the Age quoted Dr Bruce Neal, research director at The George Institute for International Health in Sydney, as saying.
" I know it''s an icon of the Australian diet but if people knew what they were eating and what it''s doing to their health they might well think twice about it," he added.
“ There''s very clear evidence that eating more salt raises pushes the blood pressure up and that increases your risk of stroke and heart attack.
" You''re obviously not going to fall dead as you bite into the sausage but you''re going to pay for it down the track.
The government now needs to make salt a national health priority and lead negotiations on maximum salt targets for different products,” he added. (ANI). - Top News July 11 2008.

Home-made Sausages - Make Your Own: Sausage Maker Machine: Compact Juicer Australia Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Making Organic Sausage Recipes No Preservatives Less Salt & Fat Content make your own Gourmet Sausages home made Gluten-free Sausages Healthy Gourmet Preservative-free Sausages For more on making your own mince or how to make your own meat patties or veggie vegetable patties just follow the links ....