Australia may be divided on political issues this election, but one thing unites us: our love of a good sausage sizzle.
As voters around the nation converge on primary schools and town halls to exercise their democratic right on 3 May, barbecues around the country will be fired up to feed the voting masses.
Which sausage topped the polls in our democracy sausage plebiscite?
We gave candidates from Woolworths, Coles and Aldi a good grilling and then asked CHOICE staff to elect their favourite democracy sausage.
Which sausage topped the polls in our democracy sausage plebiscite?
CHOICE staffers applying their testing experience to the democracy sausage taste-test.
Candidate selection
Candidates from the two main parties, Woolworths and Coles, were pre-selected, along with independent candidate Aldi.
We preferenced plain budget snags as these are the most commonly chosen for a roasting on election day.
Voting
Registered CHOICE staff voters were asked to consider each of the candidates' policies (er, sausages) and cast a conscience vote at our in-office polling place.
Turns out CHOICE staff are a diligent bunch – there was not a single informal or donkey vote cast (although we did draw the line at postal votes – sausages don't travel well).
Star of the Sausage Senate: Woolworths thin BBQ sausages.
And the winner is...
Woolworths won in a landslide victory, snagging (sorry) an impressive 47.6% of the vote – a clear four-vote majority over Coles, and five votes ahead of Aldi.
Our last Democracy Sausage election in 2022 saw Coles elected as favourite, so the worm has well and truly turned, with many voters crossing the floor to support Woolies.
Despite unseating its opponents in the Sausage Senate, Woolworths' snags don't have much meat to them: just 70% of the total weight. (Though to be fair, Aldi and Coles only managed 71% and 72% respectively.)
But Woolies is the only party campaigning on a platform of traditional values. It sells good old-fashioned beef bangers, while Coles and Aldi use a coalition of beef, lamb and/or chicken, in unspecified ratios.
And while it's wise to take politicians' promises with a grain of salt, you won't need to with the winning wiener – Woolworths sausages had the lowest sodium content of all our candidates. (That means you can have a fair shake of the sauce bottle without worrying about your blood pressure.)
The Opposition
Aldi's mixed-meat sausages were at the back of the (bulk) pack.
The member for Aldi came in last, taking out less than a quarter of the vote.
The party is strongly focused on cost of living – its bulk pack sausages were the cheapest in our test at 43.7c each – but at a cost to public health, with its sausages having the highest salt and fat content.
A vote for Coles sausages won't put your budget back in surplus: it was the most expensive per sausage (47.9c each in a 24 pack), but had the highest percentage of Australian ingredients – good for jobs but not growth.
Like Aldi, Coles dishes up a three-meat snag.
Got a beef with your supermarket?
If truth in advertising is high on your list of campaign priorities, you could be disappointed.
While you may expect your Democracy sausage to be made from good old Aussie beef, the fine print reveals what's really inside.
Woolworths' sausages are made from traditional beef, but Coles' and Aldi's are based on a foundation of three meats: beef, lamb and chicken.
And they're not exactly transparent about the ratios of their mystery meat. Here's how they describe them in their ingredients lists:
- Aldi: Meat (71%) (Beef, lamb or chicken)
- Coles: Australian Meat (72%) [No Added Hormones Beef, RSPCA Approved Chicken, Lamb]
All three parties have a chequered history of using mixed-meat combos, with both Coles and Woolies flip-flopping on the issue between 2019 and 2025.
Woolworths' sausages are made from traditional beef, but Coles' and Aldi's are based on beef, lamb and chicken
Aldi, as usual, has done its own thing and stuck with the three-meat mix, but is now more upfront about the contents of its snags: in 2019, they were described as just "meat" with no further information.
Candidate statistics
| Aldi | Coles | Woolworths | |
| Price |
$3.99 for 7 or $10.49 for 24 |
$5.00 for 8 or $11.50 for 24 |
$6.60 for 12 or $11.50 for 26 |
| Price per sausage |
57c/43.7c |
62.5c/47.9c |
55c/44.2c |
| % meat | 71% | 72% | 70% |
| Fat content |
20.7g/100g |
17.9g/100g |
19.6g/100g |
| Sodium content |
681mg/100g |
538mg/100g |
493mg/100g |
| % Australian ingredients |
At least 95% |
At least 96% | At least 91% |
| % of votes | 23.8% | 28.57% | 47.6% |
We're on your side
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.
And you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
Learn more about CHOICE membership today
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
