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CR Sanitarium Vegie Delight Vegetarian Sausages

Sanitarium Vegie Delights Sausages | Chewsday Review

Today I'm reviewing Sanitarium Vegie Delights sausages. I’m always interested in plant-based options to add to our meal rotation, and sausages are a common safe food for lots of kids. Let's see if I am delighted by these, or if they're simply the wurst.

Ingredients

Water, vegetable protein (22%) (wheat gluten, soy), canola oil, starch (tapioca, potato), seasoning soy, salt, vegetable protein (maize), rice bran oil, onion, tomato powder, wheat protein, maltodextrin, flavour, garlic, sugar, spices, thickeners (guar gum, carrageenan gum), dextrose, potassium chloride, rice flour, wheat flour, vegetable powder, yeast extract (barley), oats, crumb (wheat), minerals (zinc, iron), vitamin (B12), fermented rice.
Although these are “vegie” sausages, don’t be tricked into thinking they contain lots of vegetables. Vegetable-related ingredients include onion, tomato powder, garlic and vegetable powder, which are likely all in small amounts.
Allergens: Gluten, soy, wheat.
May contain: peanuts.

Positives

The saturated fat content is low (0.9g per 100g) as expected for a vegetarian sausage. For comparison, the saturated fat content of most meat-based sausages ranges from 3g to 10g per 100g.
These vegie sausages contain 1.8g fibre per 100g serve of 2 sausages. This is below my fibre target, but a bonus considering most meat-based sausages contain minimal fibre. An exception is Peppercorn Extra Lean Beef Sausages, which contain 1.9g fibre per sausage due to the added vegetables.
A 100g serve of Sanitarium Vegie Delights Sausages provides 3.5mg iron, which is around 40% of the recommended daily amount for toddlers or 35% for school-aged kids. This amount of iron is actually higher than meat-based sausages, which contain around 0.9mg to 1.6 mg of iron per 100g, although it is in a different form.
As well as added iron, Sanitarium Vegie Delight sausages have added vitamin B12 and zinc. This is a big plus as meeting these nutrient requirements can be challenging for kids following a vegetarian diet, or those still learning to like meat. The only other brand of fortified vegetarian sausages I found were vEEF, which had lower amounts of iron (1.22mg per 100g), B12 and no zinc.
As I’d expect for sausages, their sugar content is low (1.7g per 100g), even though there is some sugar added.

Negatives

At 465mg per 100g, sodium is slightly above guidelines. This is similar to or slightly lower than other brands of plant based sausages like v2 (428 mg per 100g), Quorn (460mg per 100g), Unreal Co (517-525 mg per 100g) and vEEF (538mg per 100g). Meat-based sausages vary widely in sodium content, from 345mg to 1030 mg per 100g. Yumi’s Veggie Minis are another convenient vcgetarian option which are lower in sodium (329mg per 100g).
At $7.50 per packet of 8 sausages, or $25 a kilo, these aren’t cheap, and are slightly more than other vegetarian sausages, which range from around $15 to $20 per kg. The price of meat-based sausages ranges from around $6 per kg to $24 per kg.
Vegie with one g?! Surely the spelling should be veggie?

Marketing

“No artificial colours”. Yep.
“Good source of protein and iron”. These do contain protein and iron.
“Good source of zinc and B12”. These have zinc and vitamin B12 added.
“Plant based”, “vegan”, “vegetarian”. True, but this doesn’t mean it is necessarily any healthier just because it is plant-based. But, it could be handy to help identify a plant-based food in the supermarket if that’s what you are after.
“Aussie owned and made”. Sure.

Alternatives

Sanitarium Vegie Delights sausages are slightly more expensive than other vegetarian sausages, but meet my criteria for saturated fat and sugar, and have the added benefit of being fortified with iron, B12 and zinc. This makes them a great choice for kids following a vegetarian diet, or kids who eat a limited range of iron-rich foods.
Peppercorn Extra Lean Beef Sausages are one of my favourite meat-based sausages.
Yumi’s Veggie Minis are another convenient vegetarian option with a lower sodium content, higher fibre content and contain chickpeas as a source of iron. Other plant-based options to add to your freezer stash for a quick and easy meal could include vegetarian sausage rolls, frittata or falafel.
My Baby, Toddler and Family Mealtimes memberships include access to all of these vegetarian recipes and more, plus a comprehensive product selection guide for sausages and over 15 other product categories.