Sustainability Matters
Every industry has its dirty little secrets or tricks of the trade . These are commonly used to lower costs while masking a reduction in quality. We call them ‘sins’ and although Eve was often accused of committing the original sin, it had nothing to do with her taste in sausages.
Here’s the inside scoop of what to beware of when choosing a sausage and how we strive to consider sustainability in our supply chain:
Imported Meats
It’s become commonplace in Australia to read food labels stating countries other than Australia as the origin of ingredients. The conditions animals are raised in and the food they are reared on is seldom known.
Eve Smallgoods gourmet sausages contain only the finest quality fresh meats, sourced from reputable local producers. We are concerned with animal welfare and sustainability and want to be certain of the process the meat has been through before reaching us and we take pride in supporting Australian farmers.
Artificial Colours & Flavours
Artificial colours are commonly used to make meat appear fresher or to give an artificial casing a specific look. Although low-quality sausages don’t tend to have much of a distinctive flavour, the flavourings they do have are generally a result of artificial flavourings.
Eve Smallgoods believes there’s no substitute for what Mother Nature can provide. We go to great lengths to secure the superior herbs & spices that give our sausages such flavoursome appeal.
Nitrates & Nitrites
Discussion about dangerous levels of nitrites/ nitrates in ham and sausages can be confusing. The Australian Food Standard for maximum nitrite levels in ham is 125mg/kg.
Nitrate helps retain a desirable level of pink colour in the product, but we believe it should not be used as a preservative. Eve Smallgoods conduct regular testing on the nitrate and nitrite levels in our ham. This is done by an accredited lab and the results show that the total level of nitrates and nitrites in our ham is just 12mg/kg. That’s less than 10% of maximum allowable levels!
While other producers use it at high levels to achieve a longer shelf life, we achieve a better result by refusing to take short-cuts, being committed to European craftsmanship, and applying knowledge that has been passed down five generations.
Mechanically De-boned Meat (MDM)
Low quality sausages are often made using cheap meat trimmings of any kind and meat that has been machine-scraped. This is known as mechanically de-boned meat (MDM), and this is why you’ll encounter small bone chips and unappealing chunks of gristle. It’s because of this bad habit that people have come to believe sausages contain offal and reject scraps.
Eve Smallgoods hand-cuts meat from the bone to ensure our customers don’t get such nasty surprises. It’s certainly more labour-intensive, but there can be no compromise when you’re striving for perfection!
Liquid Smoke & Smoke Seasonings
Did you know there’s such a thing as ‘liquid smoke’?
It’s what sausage manufacturers use when they want to offer a smokey flavour for mass-produced sausages. It’s made in a method not too unlike filtering cigarette smoke through water, only instead of tobacco, a cheap wood is burnt to create the smoke. The smoke seasoning substance that results is what is added to the sausage mix. The liquid smoke is sprayed over the product to give colour and a smoky flavour.
Eve Smallgoods prefers the traditional method of smoking meat. We invest in Beech and Apple wood chips and sometimes also Juniper berries (depending on the sausage).
Links of sausages are placed onto a racks then wheeled into a smokehouse where they become infused with a delicious, authentic aroma.
For The Health Conscious
Sausages are a ready source of protein and iron, However, if you’re conscious about your weight, it’s advisable to only eat 1 or 2 sausages rather than 5. Eating quality, fresh meat will also be better for your health eating food that contains fillers and artificial additives.
Artificial Casings
You wouldn’t eat a straight banana, so beware when considering a straight sausage! Its simply not natural.
Artificial casings (sometimes dyed red), are an inexpensive way to make sausages look uniform in appearance.
There are three things artificial casings are made from: collagen (derived from cattle skin), cellulose (derived from cotton linters or wood pulp), and plastic.
Artificial casings from animal collagen are generally edible, though some are not.
Eve Smallgoods invest in high-grade natural casings made from the small intestines of sheep or pigs that are thoroughly cleaned and sterile.
This is the true authentic method for making high quality sausages, as has been done for hundreds of years. That’s why our sausages come in all shapes and sizes, are bent if they’re long, and make that satisfying “crack’ sound when you bite into them.
Did you know that organic food regulations in Europe and the USA require only natural casings to be used?
Fillers
Fillers are additives that bulk up the weight of a sausage in place of meat, which is the most expensive ingredient. Fillers are commonly used by the meat processing industry in processed meats such as hamburger patties and sausage.
In Australia, regulations require at least half of all sausage content to include meat. That may sound odd when buying a meat sausage and it begs the question; what makes up the other half? The answer is breadcrumbs, soy, wheat or rice flour.
Most sausages are packed with preservatives such as mineral salts, preservative (223), sulphur dioxide (220), sodium and potassium sulphites (221-225 and 228).
Eve Smallgoods sausages are all sulphite-free, gluten-free, egg-free, artificial colouring-free, filler-free, and - apart from our delicious cheesy sausages – they are even are dairy free!
As we like to say: Eve gave us sin-free sausages and now we share them with you!
