An uptick in sausage demand can offer the latest sign of consumers tightening their belts as they continue grappling with high prices. There’s been “modest growth” in the dinner sausage category for one producer, according to the Dallas Federal Reserve’s Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey released Monday. This underscores the trends of shoppers opting for cheaper products and pulling back spending all together as cumulative inflation bites into purchasing power. “This category tends to grow when the economy weakens,” the respondent said, according to edited comments included in the Dallas Fed’s report. That’s because “sausage is a good protein substitute for higher-priced proteins and can ‘stretch’ consumers’ food budgets.” This anecdote pointed out by eagle-eyed Bespoke Investment Group on X comes as grocery prices remain top of mind for consumers. While the rate of annualized inflation has fallen closer to levels deemed healthy by economic policymakers, the collective increase in prices compared with just a few years ago has…
