The once-ubiquitous summertime smell of sausages cooking on Finnish grills is increasingly being replaced by the aroma of various meats and vegetables.
According to Kesko — the retail-grocery giant behind K-branded supermarkets — sausage sales have been falling for a while.
"The demand for grilling sausages has been in a slight decline for several years, and this trend has continued this summer," said Maria Michina, Kesko's purchasing and sales manager.
Mikko Keski-Hirvi, who operates a K-Supermarket in Seinäjoki, has also noticed a slight change in buying habits.
"Sales of ordinary sausages have decreased, but they're still the most sold, in terms of quantity," he explained.
To find out more, Yle reached out to the country's biggest meat producers and retailers about summer sausage sales. But two of the largest firms, Atria and HK Foods, did not reply by publication time.
According to meat product manufacturer Poutu's marketing chief, Laura Kosonen, the recent chilly, rainy weather has largely affected sales of traditional grilling-season products, but there have been some exceptions.
"Breaded products are also popular in summer, and sales are growing. Chicken is especially popular among younger shoppers," Kosonen explained.
Finland's biggest retailing outfit, S Group, attributed the decline in sales to the slow start to summer.
"Sausage sales were clearly lower in May than last year. But sausages sold well again over Midsummer, and sales grew higher than they were last year," said the cooperative retailer's sales chief, Juhani Haara.
Plain meat, high fat
Alongside sausages, outdoor chefs in Finland are using more vegetables and meats of one kind or another. Kesko expects to see demand for chicken to rise and the retailer says that pork products are also selling well.
According to shopkeeper Keski-Hirvi, the demand for pork has increased as beef products have periodically been in short supply.
People also increasingly seem to prefer to buy unseasoned meat, so they can spice up their meals themselves, Keski-Hirvi explained.
He noted that Finns are slowly starting to understand the important role that fat plays at the grill.
"For example, fattier pork loin steaks have already sold much more than sirloin. Fatty meat works well on the grill — it doesn't dry out nearly as easily as sirloin," he said.
The grilling season may well go into high gear this week as rising temperatures and sunny weather are in the forecast.
