Vegetarian Sausage (Fortified)

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

Same shape, no nitrite, an eighth of the saturated fat — and the B12 was put back.

Stage by stage

Same format (The plate): Built to occupy the same place on the plate, which is most of why it works.
Saturated fat (Liver): 0.85 g per 100 g against a pork sausage’s 7.87 — the largest single difference.
Non-haem iron (Duodenum): 3.5 mg added, absorbed better with vitamin C and worse with tea.
Iodine and B12 (Thyroid and nerves): 30 mcg and 2 mcg added — and absent entirely from unfortified versions.

Timing

The added iron is non-haem, so pair it with something acidic and keep tea and coffee away from the meal.

Time to effect

Weeks–months: B12 and iron status respond to consistent intake.
Per 100 g: 2 mcg B12, 3.5 mg iron, 30 mcg iodine — all added.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. May contain: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Mustard, Soya, Sulphites. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher. Depends on the product: Vegan, Keto, Gluten-free.

Satiety

147 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

3.2 kg CO2e and 149 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Tofu" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £11 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Protein
Vitamin B12
Iodine

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 193
Protein: 19g
Carbohydrate: 7.4g
of which sugars: 1.9g
Fat: 9.4g
of which saturated: 0.9g
Fibre: 1.5g
Sodium: 461mg

Food vs. supplement

This product is a fortified food doing a supplement’s job. The B12, iron, zinc and iodine that make it nutritionally comparable to meat were all added deliberately, which is why the unfortified version on the same shelf is a different food.

Kitchen tip

Check the pack for added B12, iron and iodine. Two vegetarian sausages side by side can differ entirely on all three.

Common myth

“Any veggie sausage is the healthier swap.” In reality: This one is: a ninth of the saturated fat, the lowest sodium on the counter, no nitrite and no IARC classification. But the B12, iron, zinc and iodine that make it nutritionally comparable were all added, and unfortified versions supply none of them while looking the same in the freezer. The iodine matters most, because plant-based diets that displace dairy and seafood are where Australians most often fall short of it.

In the glossary

Absorption