Story By:  Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency:  Newsflash

Angry German food fans are furious over the rising cost of sausages caused by the war in Ukraine.

Following shortages of cooking oil, flour, and yeast in Germany, sausages are the latest food item to be hit by rising prices.

The COVID-19 political response had already affected supply chains and rising costs in many countries, however the war in Ukraine is now considered a key factor in the ongoing cost of living crisis.

The Meat Industry Association (VDF) said: “Costs have recently increased explosively.”

Last week, the agriculture ministers of Baden-Wurttemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt warned that farms were suffering from shortages and price increases for mineral fertilizers and fuels, sparking price increases for beloved items such as bratwurst.

However, Germany is not the only country to see a price surge for sausages. Consumers are also complaining about the cost of bangers in Austria too.

Sausage stall owner Rene Kachlir told local media: “For 10 years you paid EUR 4.20 for a Kasekrainer (a lightly smoked Bruhwurst) at the Zum Scharfen Rene stand in Schwarzenbergplatz 15 (in the Austrian capital Vienna).

“However, with the general wave of inflation here and the price only rising to EUR 4.80, the sausage would really be EUR 9 if I passed on all the increased buying costs directly to the customers.”

He added: “Some customers have accepted it, but one of them refused to order anything out of protest.”

Instead of EUR 2.80, a can of Ottakringer beer now costs EUR 3.40, and Kachlir said he is also hurting over the rising prices: “Bread is now almost 250 per cent more expensive while meat and electricity have gone up by about 50 per cent.

“I don’t mean to moan, but it’s really tough.”

Meanwhile, at the nearby Zum Goldenen sausage stand, the price of a Kasekrainer has risen to EUR 5.40 while a hot dog is now an eye-watering EUR 6.40.

At the Bitzinger sausage stand, Kasekrainers are priced at EUR 5.50.

However, the Alt Wiener Wurstelstand in Vienna has only increased the cost of Kasekrainers from EUR 3.90 to EUR 4.20, and the price of an Ottakringer beer is the same as before at EUR 2.70.