I’m starting a petition today to ask the restaurant chain Bojangles’ Famous Chicken to Here’s why….
Last summer, I volunteered at a local elementary school and noticed that they were serving Bojangles’ for breakfast. And when I asked the school administrators if they knew what was in Bojangles’ food or had a list of ingredients they could give me, they said they didn’t know. Hundreds of kids were eating it, but no one had any idea what was in it. How does this happen? I asked myself.
As a lover of delicious fast food breakfast sandwiches, I’m a huge fan of Bojangles’ famous chicken and biscuits Their fluffy, buttery biscuits paired with crispy fried chicken or smoky sausage patties make for the perfect on-the-go morning meal. But as I’ve become more concerned about the ingredients and sourcing of my food, I had to ask is Bojangles sausage actually made from pork?
In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at what really goes into those famous Bojangles sausage patties. We’ll examine the ingredients, meat sourcing, health impacts, and alternatives for different diets. Read on to get the full scoop on this beloved breakfast menu item!
A Look at the Sausage Ingredients
According to the Bojangles website, their sausage contains a blend of pork, water, salt, spices, and sugar. At first glance, this seems like a pretty straightforward list of components. But when we consider the broader context around factory farming and antibiotics in meat production, it raises some important questions.
Where exactly does Bojangles source their pork from? What kind of conditions are these animals raised in? The lack of transparency makes it difficult to know if sustainable, ethical practices are being used. This is why some concerned customers have created petitions urging the chain to prohibit routine antibiotic use and publish their complete ingredients.
Beyond the pork itself, the addition of sugar and spices also warrants a closer look. While they add flavor, they can also drive up calories, fat, sodium, and added sugars. This is something to keep in mind for those looking to make healthier choices.
The Murky Meat Sourcing Process
On their website, Bojangles states that they “source only the highest quality ingredients” and their chicken is “fresh never frozen.” However they provide limited information about where they obtain pork for their famous sausage patties.
The company has not made public comments about their specific pork suppliers, animal welfare standards, or sustainability practices. This lack of transparency around meat sourcing has led to concerns from consumers who want to know more about the impact of Bojangles’ supply chain.
In today’s world, I believe it’s important for restaurants to prioritize animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and public health. Providing more visibility into meat sourcing decisions would go a long way towards building customer trust.
Taking a Closer Look at the Nutrition Facts
When examining the nutrition facts on Bojangles sausage, here’s what you need to know:
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A single sausage patty contains 107 calories, 9g fat, 3g saturated fat, and 390mg sodium
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On a biscuit, the sausage sandwich comes to 470 calories, 28g fat, and 38g carbohydrates
This represents a hefty portion of one’s recommended daily caloric and fat intake from just one breakfast item. Those monitoring their health and diet should be mindful about making this a regular habit.
Additionally, the specifics around the pork cuts and quality are unclear. This makes it challenging for customers to determine the true nutritional value and health impacts. More transparency would empower patrons to make fully informed dining decisions.
Alternatives for Different Diets and Needs
For those seeking meatless options, unfortunately Bojangles does not currently offer vegetarian sausage substitutes or breakfast sandwiches. Your best bet is to piece together sides like hash browns, grits, and biscuits with egg and cheese.
If you’re calorie-conscious, the “Egg and Cheese Biscuit” from their Fit Menu rings in at 340 calories and 17g fat. Another hack is to skip the cheese and switch to turkey sausage to cut some calories and fat.
For gluten-free needs, no breakfast items at Bojangles are guaranteed gluten-free at this time. But you can reference their allergen info online to build your own custom order.
Overall, Bojangles could step up their plant-based, diet-conscious, and allergy-friendly options to match consumer demands and health trends. But for now, it requires some menu hacking and special requests to find alternatives to their sausage.
The Verdict: Yes, It’s Pork!
After reviewing the available information, I can conclusively say that Bojangles sausage is indeed made from pork. However, the lack of transparency around sourcing, quality, and antibiotics makes it hard to assess the ethics and health impacts of these popular breakfast patties.
In the future, I hope that Bojangles will provide greater visibility into their supply chain and focus on ensuring higher standards for sustainability and animal welfare. In the meantime, consumers should be mindful of occasionally indulging in the sausage biscuits as part of an overall balanced diet. Personally, I’ll still be enjoying this iconic Southern breakfast combo as an occasional treat!
My team started working on this investigation about a year ago by simply contacting Bojangles’ customer service and asking about the ingredients in their food.
We first used Bojangles’s contact form to ask about the ingredients in some menu items, but they didn’t get back to us. We did this a few times and got nothing back from them, which seemed a little odd from a customer service point of view. When we called again, customer service told us they didn’t have any ingredient lists and couldn’t give us any information. However, they would get someone from corporate to call us back. They never called or emailed us back – not a peep!.
Well, if you know me… this drove me crazy! That is when this investigation and petition were born.
I grew up eating Bojangles’ and they have a really large presence here in Charlotte. I used to eat it every Friday in high school when seniors were allowed to leave the school grounds for lunch. You can see their ads at sporting events, local charities, and schools. That famous fried chicken, the fries, and the sweet iced tea. I didn’t know or care about what I was eating back then, but now that our country’s health is in danger (especially here in the south), we need to know what’s in our food in order to make smart choices about what we eat.
Trying Bojangles Sausage BoBerry Biscuit – Collab with @CartersEat
FAQ
Is Chick Fil A sausage biscuit pork?
What is Bojangles steak biscuit made of?
What kind of oil does Bojangles use?
How good is Bojangles sausage?
Bojangles sausage has a fine texture which makes it very tender (a gozillion times better than those rubber discs under the golden arches). It’s also seasoned very well. One of the seasonings I can pick up on is sage.
Does Bojangles sausage have red bell peppers?
One, they use the same sausage patties they use on the sausage biscuits. And two, they use red bell peppers. And I’m OK with both of those! Bojangles sausage has a fine texture which makes it very tender (a gozillion times better than those rubber discs under the golden arches). It’s also seasoned very well.
Is Bojangles vegetarian?
Despite being heavy on chicken and biscuits, Bojangles does have several vegetarian-friendly options, including: For a vegetarian breakfast that’s available all day, order the egg and cheese biscuit. As a bonus, it’s also the most nutritious biscuit option on the menu.
Does Bojangles have fried chicken?
Many Bojangles menu items are fried and high in sodium, and the popular biscuit meals contain high-fat proteins and come with a side of fried potatoes. The signature bone-in chicken meals and chicken sandwiches also have high-fat/high-sodium sides. To limit fat and sodium, ordering a salad with grilled chicken as a main is the best option.