Germs and disgusting flesh
Doubtful quality: Warentest checks sausage and finds something unappetizing
Food is actually subject to strict guidelines. Especially sausage and meat products. The ZDF magazine “Frontal 21” has proven that you can also put a sausage that is mostly made of dirt into circulation.
The new issue of Stiftung Warentest is about sausage. More precisely: boiled sausage. It enjoys extraordinary popularity in Germany. Rightly so? The testers have their doubts about some products.
It’s no longer what sausage is made from. Consumers now tend to steer clear of products containing low-quality mechanically separated meat. But what if the manufacturers just hide it anyway? The Stiftung Warentest took a closer look at what’s in the boiled sausage. And in fact, it’s not just the quality of the meat that leaves something to be desired.
On average, every person in Germany eats 6.6 kilos of boiled sausage every year. Most people choose Lyonnaise, ham or meat sausage. Children also appreciate the taste, which is why there are a lot of products on offer that are made specifically for the little ones. But are Bärchenwurst etc. as good in quality as the demand is? The testers tested 19 products, including classic cold cuts and children’s sausages. Only one product tasted very good to the testers. A total of nine are recommended.
Sausage: Findings of germs and bacteria
Rügenwalder Mühle can pat itself on the back. The company provides the test winner. The “Ham Spicker Mortadella” was the only product in the comparison that was completely convincing in terms of taste. The testers attested to an aromatic, spicy taste and gave it an overall rating of “Good” (2.0). But at 1.68 euros for 100 grams, the sausage isn’t exactly cheap either. If you don’t want to spend that much, you can confidently resort to cheaper alternatives. Among other things, the “Gut & Günstig Delikatess Ham Sausage” from Edeka is also “good” (2.3) and costs less than a third (50 cents/100 grams).
However, the testers also found it less appetizing. Germs and an increased number of lactic acid bacteria were detected in several products. Of all things, several children’s products, including Ferdi Fuchs’ “Mini Fleischwurst” (grade: 3.5), are affected. Although this does not represent an acute health risk, it does indicate the beginning of spoilage, writes Warentest.
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Bad taste of organic sausage
However, two other products made the testers uneasy. One of them is the “Poultry Mortadella” from Wiesenhof. It is one of the products in which components were found that indicate mechanically separated meat. Accordingly, the sausage had more bone and cartilage components than other sausages. However, when asked, the providers denied the use, reports Stiftung Warentest. Both still have to be satisfied with a grade of 3.5.
Of all things, an organic sausage got the worst result in the test: the ham sausage from BioLust. Although it costs a comparatively impressive 2.36 per 100 grams, it was negative in the taste test. The testers confirm a lack of lactic sourness. This is due to an increased number of lactic acid bacteria. The bottom line is that this is only enough for the quality rating “Sufficient”.
You can read the complete test for a fee test.de