Delicious Deli Meats For Vegans

Friday, 13 June 2025, 1:50 pm
Press Release: The Vegan Society Aotearoa New Zealand

The Vegan Society of Aotearoa’s seventh annual Sausage and Deli Awards are open for registration and the Society is delighted that the annual food awards continue to grow, as more products come out that need recognition. The vegan food awards will always showcase the excellence that can be found in plant-based foods. Entries must be on sale in NZ and are welcomed from all countries.

The range of deli style not meats is well represented in Aotearoa and these healthier alternatives can be found in all good supermarkets across the country. Plant-based foods are great for the environment, requiring much less land and water than animal products, plus no animals were harmed during their production.

The categories this year are:

• Breakfast Sausage
• Bangers BBQ
• Hotdogs and Sausage Rolls
• Speciality Sausage
• Chorizo
• Pastrami
• Cold Cuts (chicken, turkey, salami)
• Bacon Style
• Burger Patties
• Hot Served ‘Meats’
• ‘Seafood’ Style
• Paté
• Innovation Category
  (Producers using innovative ingredients such as jackfruit, banana blossom, tempeh, congak, fungus etc, to create a unique vegan meat option.)

Last year’s Supreme Award winner was Vegan Smoked Sausage with Szechuan Sauce (Blissful, “Whole Perfect Food” brand), the judges were particularly impressed, saying it was a fantastic special sausage. Great spice and good presentation. Engaging texture and moisture. Good in stir fried noodles and rice because of Asian flavour background.

The judges this year are food and beverage industry experts, Aaron Pucci and Jasbir Kaur, both highly respected in their fields with a wealth of expertise between them. Favourite vegan funny man Tom Sainsbury, whose great love of vegan sausages has helped lend a voice of the public to the proceedings. The almighty and formidable vegan pie maker, Jason Hay of Richoux Patisserie, is crossing the line this year to become Judge Jason and we also excited to welcome seasoned Executive Chef with a proven track record at Sudima Auckland Airport, Rodney Gomes excels in innovative menu creation and managing high-volume kitchen operations.

“We are so excited to have our new deli meats categories, which recognise the quality and care that goes into producing great plant-based alternatives for meat products. We urge all manufacturers to try their luck and see if their product has what it takes to win our judges over. With the rising cost of living, eating plants will always be a good thing, providing healthier foods with lower emissions, helping to look after our home.” said Media Spokesperson, Claire Insley

With so many categories to munch their way through, these judges will really be getting their teeth into it. To find out more about the awards go to https://vegansociety.org.nz/nz-vegan-sausage-awards/

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