Merguez, chipolatas, vegetable sausages… 60 million consumers have decided and given the best brands of sausages to taste this summer.
Barbecue and grilling season has arrived and we are spoiled for choice when shopping: merguez, chipolatas, vegetarian sausages… Prices vary considerably from one reference to another, and can be doubled, as does the quality. 60 Million Consumers helps us make the right choice at the supermarket in its latest survey.
After weighing, measuring and analyzing in the laboratory about thirty sausages, including 12 merguez, 11 different chipolatas and 6 references of vegetarian sausages, the magazine made several observations. First observation: additives, particularly preservatives and colorings, are omnipresent in these foods. Vegetable sausages, although less rich in fat than their meat-based counterparts, all contain it. Chipolatas, for their part, contain far too much fat, which is to the detriment of the proportion of meat. Finally, merguez are far too salty, with more than 2 grams of salt per portion, while the WHO recommends not exceeding 5 grams per day.
Faced with this assessment, 60 Million Consumers has pinned down several references to absolutely avoid: Carrefour Simpl and Socopa merguez sausages, as well as Carrefour Simpl chipolatas, which are distinguished by their low meat content and high fat content. As for vegetable sausages, the Herta Knacki with eggs and peas is singled out for its high proportion of fat and additives.
But then which sausage brands should you choose? As for merguez, the Monoprix Bio and Bigard references obtained the best scores by 60 Million Consumers because they are the ones that contain the most meat: 85%. For chipolatas, one reference stands out with 97% meat, while others only display 82% meat. The recommended reference is the packet of chipolatas from the Bigard reference (Red Label). Finally, among vegetable sausages, the prize goes to the Alnatura brand. The reference “vegan red grilling specialty made exclusively from wheat” stands out by containing 28 grams of protein per 100 grams and very few additives compared to other brands in its category.
Finally, 60 Million Consumers reminds us of an important point: chipolatas must be 100% pork, while merguez are made from beef alone or a beef-mutton mix. This is a requirement to bear the name “chipolatas” or “merguez”. It is therefore strongly recommended to read the label of your sausage before buying it, favoring the brand that has the shortest possible list of ingredients. The Label Rouge always displays an indicator of quality because the fat content and additives are limited with this label.