Hema to launch a vegan smoked sausage

In the coming years Hema will be fully committed to sustainability. Part of that is creating vegan variants for all its most popular products, including the company's iconic smoked sausage, or rookworst as it is known in the Netherlands.

All of Hema's food products will eventually be given a vegan version, CEO Tjeerd Jegen said to Het Parool. The company already offers a vegetarian sausage roll and vegan apple pie. Pastry tompouce is a bit more complicated, but will also be looked at eventually, he said.

According to Jegen, sustainability is an important pillar in the company's strategy. "We were the first retailer to make products affordable for the ordinary man, the first where people were served in a restaurant. Now we also want to be the first to make sustainability affordable for everyone in the Netherlands."