🧂 Swedish Ham Classification Law

The Salt book by Mark Kurlansky mentions this Swedish regulation. However, based on available sources, the exact date when this law was enacted in Sweden remains unclear. Here’s what we can confirm:

• The regulation distinguishes between:
  • A salted ham cured months before Christmas → cannot be labeled “fresh”.
  • A frozen ham stored for the same duration → can still be labeled “fresh”.
• Why? This reflects Sweden’s legal definition of “fresh” in food labeling, which prioritizes preservation method over elapsed time. Salt curing is considered a transformative process, while freezing is seen as passive storage.
• Legal origin? The law likely stems from EU food labeling standards, which Sweden follows. These standards define “fresh” based on whether the product has undergone preservation methods like salting, smoking, or curing.