WATERLOO, Ontario – Piller’s Fine Foods, a Canadian manufacturer of specialty European deli meats, is keeping with its gluten-, MSG- and allergen-free line of meat snacks by introducing its Minis Sausage Snacks, which follows the company’s line of Meat Sticks that are free of gluten, MSG and allergen.

The Minis Sausage Snacks feature 70 calories per pack for the chicken Skinny Bites Minis and only 50 calories per pack for Simply Free Kolbassa Minis.


The Simply Free Kolbassa Minis are also free of all major food allergens, including milk, peanuts, tree nuts, mustard, sesame, egg, fish, soy and sulphites. This variety received the 2015 Canadian Living Best New Product Award prior to launch based on its Meat Sticks product legacy, according to Piller’s.

“Each of the bite-sized Minis contain 23 percent meat protein, and are uniquely packaged to make portioning of the 8 grams of protein per pack easy; a simple snip with scissors and the packages divide into four servings for a shot of protein in a lunch or sports bag,” says Rita Weigel, director of marketing for the 58-year-old company. “Piller’s Minis are right on trend with consumer snacking data, and meet the consumer demand for snacks that are high in protein, all natural, easy to portion and low in calories.”

Weigel points to the latest data on snacking that 77 percent of consumers snack at least once daily, and that 51 percent snack at least twice daily. Four out of 10 Canadian consumers snack as a meal replacement she adds.

Weigel notes that Health Canada’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein for pre-teens and teens between 9 and 18 is 34 to 52 grams. And while the average adult needs 0.8 grams per kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of body weight per day, athletes need double that.

Piller’s Minis sausage snacks are available at major grocery stores across Canada at a retail price of about $3.99 and can be found in the deli meats aisle.