It used to be that no one wanted to know exactly what went inside a sausage. They knew it tasted good, but they didnt want to ruin the experience by knowingly ingesting what was widely believed to be ground up pig parts like snouts, tails and entrails. It didnt take long, though, before the contents of our food took center stage and people around the world began questioning what they were putting into their bodies.
Perhaps one of the slowest industries to adapt to the change in eating preferences is the sausage industry. Mass production and order fulfillment distribution of fatty links requires the addition of preservatives and flavor additives to enhance the shelf-life of meat products. While this process still hasnt changed much, large producers of sausage are starting to use all-natural meats and creative wording on their packaging to appear more artisanal, but the fillers they use havent seemed to diminish So, much like the rest of the food industry that is converting to buy-fresh-buy-local principals, artisanal sausage makers are beginning to change the landscape for consumers who want a healthier, more natural-tasting
artisanal sausage product.
Artisanal homemade sausage makers are also increasingly turning to social media to differentiate their products by evangelizing the benefits of their production methods via Twitter, Facebook, and video sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. The wise artisan shows videos that outline the sourcing methods of their meat and the careful, small-batch production runs that ensure that each sausage they produce is made with love. There are even blogs today, such as www.sausageobsession.com/blog that focus solely on artisanal sausage and include recipes, reviews, pictures, videos and interviews with artisan sausage masters.
