Avoiding Give Away During Sausage Production

Tight margins and rising input costs in sausage manufacturing make it crucial to optimize production yields and minimize product “giveaway.” Giveaway, the shipping of packages that weigh more than the label states, is a controllable cost, particularly in natural-casing sausages. These sausages are more prone to varying weights due to differences in casings and the need for consistent fill to avoid defects. In contrast, skinless franks and sausages in fibrous casings have more consistent weights due to exact filling and sealing processes.

Avoiding giveaway is vital to avoid significant revenue losses. For example:

A small plant producing 500 pounds of smoked dinner sausages weekly could see a 3% error result in a 0.5-ounce giveaway per package, translating to 675 pounds of lost product annually. 

This loss could cost around $5,000 in retail value, a substantial amount for small processors. Larger operations could face even greater losses, emphasizing the importance of quality control to minimize giveaway.

To reduce or avoid giveaway:

• Focus on accurate weight measurements throughout production. 
• Regularly weighing final packages and individual sausages can help identify inconsistencies due to equipment or process variations. 
• Ensure your stuffing equipment is well-maintained and that any changes in ingredients or processes are monitored for their impact on product weight. 
• Regularly calibrate scales, especially those used for smaller quantities to prevent errors that could lead to substantial giveaway.
• Investing in a high-quality printing scale will allow you to label and sell random weigh packages, almost eliminating any product giveaway.  Newer scales can also keep track of total weights and interface with most computer inventory and sales programs.

By implementing these strategies, processors can reduce giveaway, improve efficiency, and ultimately enhance profitability in sausage manufacturing.

By Rob Maddock,
AMSA Technical Assistance Officer