A sausage cutting apparatus and method

A sausage cutting apparatus for cutting a sausage rope comprises a cutting head (27, figure 3) including a first cutting assembly 28 having a plurality of cutting devices 30 and a second cutting assembly 32 having a plurality of cutting devices 30; and an outfeed system 60 for conveying cut sausage portions 23 away from the cutting head. The cutting assemblies define a feed path for the sausage rope between them, with cutting blades of opposing pairs of cutting devices cutting the sausage rope. The outfeed system 60 includes an outfeed belt conveyor 62 including a belt 68 driven by a motor 72. The belt 68 is driven at a velocity greater than a velocity of the sausage rope along the feed path thereby accelerating the sausage portions away from the cutting devices. The belt conveyor 62 may be disposed in line with and below the feed path such that cut sausage portions drop under gravity onto an operative upper support surface 68 defined by the belt 68. Also disclosed is the corresponding method of cutting a sausage rope using this apparatus.