The fight to preserve traditional sauna-smoked products has achieved success. Production of sauna-smoked meats using traditional methods can continue, as the European Commission has granted a permanent exemption to PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) limits for meat and fish products. The next step is awaiting a decision on EU name protection for sauna-smoked ham.
Just a couple of years ago, the future of traditional sauna-smoked ham and other smoked delicacies was uncertain. The EU tightened PAH limits for sauna-smoked products. The stricter regulation was no surprise—temporary exemptions had been in place for years while the Finnish Food Authority, together with companies, sought solutions by adjusting production temperatures and conditions.
Finally, in spring 2020, it was concluded that the future of artisan products must be safeguarded, as traditional smoking methods could not meet the new limits.
The exemption was secured thanks to advocacy by the Meat Industry Association (Lihakeskusliitto), which, in cooperation with industry stakeholders and the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), pushed for relief in the limits for Finnish food culture’s artisan products. The next step is awaiting the European Commission’s decision on the application for EU name protection for traditional sauna-smoked ham.
Mari Hannuksela, CEO of the Meat Industry Association and Editor-in-Chief of Liha ja ruoka magazine, led the entire rescue process.
“I’m personally humbled and deeply grateful. We achieved this together, because the Meat Industry Association is a small trade organization representing many SMEs and long-standing family businesses. The exemption process was about the survival of these companies.”
The EU’s name protection system adds value to products. It safeguards the names of foods produced using traditional methods from misuse and counterfeiting. For consumers, it guarantees that the product’s origin, raw materials, and production methods are known.
Quality Sets Us Apart from Big Players
In Koria, the large smoke sauna heated with alder logs will continue to burn. At Palviliha Oy’s factory, Ville Ruuda, responsible for sales and product development, and his team of 11 employees breathed a sigh of relief when the exemption process concluded.
About half of the company’s annual turnover of €1.8 million comes from smoked products, with over a thousand kilos produced weekly.
“Thankfully, smoking can continue, as we’ve been making traditional smoked meats since the 1970s. Without the exemption, we would have had to significantly change our production methods. We lead with quality, so it would have been hard to stand out from big players otherwise. We have a strong consumer base that values properly smoked products.”
Celebrating Sauna-Smoked Ham at the Food Industry Fair
The Meat Industry Association will celebrate the rescue of sauna-smoked products at the upcoming fair.
