A typical German fast food dish of 'Currywurst with chips', which is a sausage with curry powder and ketchup served with fries, is pictured at a takeaway in Dortmund May 22, 2006. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

BERLIN (Reuters) - German officials have created a labyrinth in the shape of a giant sausage to help people learn about the health risks associated with the popular fast food currywurst (curried sausage).

On the ground, visitors discover what ingredients are used and how the dish is made as they weave through the 2.5 km (1.5 miles) long educational maze made out of cultivated plants and flowers.

Recent studies have shown that Germans, who gobble down millions of currywurst every year, suffer from one of the highest rates of obesity in Europe.

Seen from the air, the “Currywurstfeld” shows a smiling curried sausage slathered with ketchup and mayonnaise and accompanied by chips.

“The labyrinth aims to raise awareness of risks associated with food and its preparation,” said a spokeswoman for Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment on Thursday.

“Visitors are asked questions on the way round the maze and if they give the wrong answer, they are led down the wrong path so that they learn from it,” she added.