Sausage – The journey to your kitchen
It is a long and arduous journey from a piglet to a finished sausage. We at The Family Butchers are committed to fundamental improvement in the German meat and sausage market. But it isn’t easy. There are many players involved. Who actually makes our sausage? Who profits from it? And what can consumers do to help raise appreciation for sausage again? Let’s take a closer look!
The most important stations along the way
Farmers: Piglet breeding involves a huge amount of effort and the profits are low. New means of networking and marketing are needed here to make animal welfare and environmental concerns more sustainable. The approach must be collaborative and regional.
Feedlots: Fattening farms buy piglets and raise them until they reach slaughter age. They are under pressure to meet the demands placed on them by NGOs, governments, and not least consumers. It all comes down to money. Better feedlots need better prices.
Slaughterhouse: These days, large slaughterhouses and cutters adhere to a highly efficient monoculture regime with all its problems: the recently hotly debated service contracts, partly poor working conditions, and animal welfare concerns. Regional or even mobile offerings could also improve conditions at this station.
(Premium) sausage makers: There are some 1,500 sausage and ham products in Germany today. What will Germany choose for its meat products, class or mass? Working together with farmers can help raise a new awareness for quality. But the goods will still have to remain marketable.
Retail: Supply and demand determine the prices. But most consumers will only see the products that retail has on offer. If retailers shift the focus from their bottom line to more sustainability, much can be improved.
Consumers: More than 80% of Germans regularly enjoy sausage and ham products. Awareness for more sustainability is growing, but the price often remains the decisive factor at the supermarket shelf. But the truth is that consumers have the greatest potential to effect change!
To find out more, check out our TFB talk “All About Sausage: Makers, People, Opinions!”
Watch the TFB talk now
