Australia-Big demand for sausages.

AUSTRALIA-SAUSAGES MAKE A COMEBACK.

They may have failed to snag big prizes in last month’s national sausage championships, but Sydney butchers say sales are booming - largely because they are convenient for children who cannot chew proper meat.

"Sausages are absolutely massive right now. They’ve become a high-quality, gourmet thing," said Ron Stapleton, chairman of the Australian Meat Industry Council’s retail section in NSW. "They’d be 25 per cent of business by value."

He reckons sales of rissoles, burgers and plain, cooking mince - for dishes such as spaghetti bolognese, "the most popular meat meal in Australia" - would push that figure up to 40 per cent.

Mince-based meals are not just good value in times of recession, says Mr Stapleton, whose shop in Gymea was founded by his great-grandfather in 1896. They are also convenient, nutritional and, most important, attractive to children. "A lot of kids today, they’re so used to soft, junk food they don’t know how to chew proper meat. Give them something a bit tough and they can’t do it. Sausages are perfect for them."

Mr Stapleton, who makes between 800 and 1000 kilos of sausages a week, says they offer an ideal package for feeding children vegetables, which they might reject when served separately.

Sausages are also in big demand at Jim Zafiriou’s shop in Marrickville Road, Dulwich Hill. "Kids don’t go for the gourmet stuff. They want something plain and simple they can pile with sauce and put between two pieces of bread.

"Basically, just cook till burned and serve," he joked.

Only a few minutes earlier, a local resident, Susan Scott, had popped in for some inexpensive, breakfast sausages for her daughter, Ebony. Both confirmed they were very popular with the younger generation.

By a pleasing coincidence, the surge in sales coincides with a national TV campaign promoting the versatility of mince, planned six months ago by the meat industry council.

The state’s 800 independent butchers may see a slide in sales of more expensive, "sweet cuts" such as Scotch fillet, at up to $40 a kilogram, but they hope the loss will be offset by a rise in business as more people cook at home.

"Recession or not, people have got to eat," Mr Zafiriou said. "Meat’s a pretty basic thing. The secret is keep them coming back for more. That means never giving them anything dodgy."