Australia needs to calm down about the Bunnings sausage controversy

COMMENT

The internet threw a collective wobbly last night with news that Bunnings has requested its sausage sizzle stall holders place the onion underneath the snag on all fundraising sandwiches.

According to the hardware chain's chief operating officer, Debbie Poole, the serving suggestion is for the safety of customers and staff.

"Safety is always our number one priority and we recently introduced a suggestion that onion be placed underneath sausages to help prevent the onion from falling out and creating a slipping hazard," said Poole in a statement.

"This recommendation is provided to the community groups within their fundraising sausage sizzle welcome pack and is on display within the gazebos when barbecues are underway."

Public outcry was swift, with commentary across social media focused on poor banger sanga construction and safety regulations gone mad.

"This will ruin Australia," said Karl Stefanovic on the Today show. "You don't mess with perfection."

Let's take a minute to calm down, though. There's nothing about this onion fiasco to warrant getting your Bonds in a knot.

The sausage sandwich is one of few street foods Australia can claim as its own. To call yourself a 'sausage sizzle connoisseur', however, is like claiming you're an expert in taking the bread out of the freezer. The sandwich requires little thought to be scoffed over five or six bites and onion placement won't affect its ease of eating or taste. (Choice of sauce is a separate matter.)

The serving suggestion was introduced some time in the "last couple of months" a Bunnings spokesperson told Good Food. Radio station 3AW alerted Australia to the new(ish) recommendation yesterday.

The important word here is also "recommendation". Bunnings hasn't employed a snag strikeforce across its 290 stores to shake down community groups placing onion over snorker. Sausage sandwiches can still be assembled as desired.

I would bet good money a customer slipped on a rogue slice of onion earlier in year and safety honchos needed to introduce a guideline to see it didn't happen again.

Some internet commentators have suggested the sausage is more of a slip hazard than the onion. Bollocks. Those snags are locked in tight and not sliding anywhere – especially at Bunnings stores in Western Australia, where community groups use crusty rolls instead of a single slice of the white bread. Now, there's something worthy of real national outrage.