QuickCheck: Did a car manufacturer make and sell its own sausages?

Upon hearing the name “Volkswagen,” most people would think of their famous Beetle or their Kombi van, which is an icon of the Flower Power era of hippies.

However, did you know that Volkswagen also produced sausages? It has been claimed that alongside cars, vans, and spare parts, Volkswagen had a sausage-making operation. But is this true or just a joke?

Verdict:

TRUE

From 1973 to 2021, Volkswagen actually produced a type of sausage called the currywurst at its plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. Production ceased because the company’s cafeterias were transitioning to a plant-based menu.

Originally, these sausages were made on-site for Volkswagen employees due to the remoteness of the Wolfsburg plant. However, they gained popularity and were eventually available not only at Volkswagen’s in-house staff restaurants and cafeterias but also at selected supermarkets and football stadiums.

A currywurst is a sausage that is typically served in thick bite-sized chunks, topped with a spicy ketchup and sprinkled with curry powder.

The currywurst sausages and accompanying ketchup were assigned their own unique part numbers, just like any other Volkswagen component. The sausage pack had the part number “199 398 500 A,” while the tomato sauce had the part number “199 398 500 B.”

Reports suggest that Volkswagen produced an impressive seven million currywurst sausages in 2019 alone. The company also introduced a vegan version before discontinuing production in 2021.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder expressed his disappointment when the currywurst production ended. He stated that while he personally follows a vegetarian diet at times, he believed that the currywurst should still be available, calling it a “power food” for skilled workers in production.

Despite Schröder’s support, Volkswagen’s curry sausage has become a thing of the past and seems unlikely to make a comeback anytime soon.

SOURCES:

https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/01/vw_sausages_wolfsburg/

https://jalopnik.com/volkswagen-to-stop-serving-sausage-in-wolfsburg-as-it-t-1847563981#:~:text=After%20nearly%2050%20years%2C%20Volkswagen,headquarters%2C%20according%20to%20Automotive%20News

https://www.politico.eu/article/schroeder-demands-vw-makes-currywurst-u-turn/

https://www.dw.com/en/ex-german-chancellor-bemoans-currywurst-loss-at-vw/a-58830099

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/volkswagen-best-selling-product-currywurst-sausage/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWP32tCPv_w&ab_channel=DiscoveryUK