Iberian Quality Standard

At Jamón Jamones, we celebrate the approval of Royal Decree 4/2014, of January 10, which approves the quality standard for Iberian meat, ham, shoulder, and loin. This regulation is an important milestone to prevent fraud and provide clearer information to consumers about the quality of Iberian products they wish to purchase. Additionally, it significantly contributes to the preservation of the Iberian breed.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Environment was responsible for issuing this Royal Decree, which was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on January 11, 2014. Since its publication, there has been a consolidation of regulations to provide a single legal reference.

The main objective of this regulation is to clearly define the quality characteristics and labeling of Iberian products available on the market. The process to arrive at this standard involved several modifications and ministerial orders since the approval of Royal Decree 1083/2001, of October 5, which established the quality standards for Iberian ham, Iberian shoulder, and Iberian loin in Spain.

The 2014 standard expanded its scope to include fresh products derived from the cutting of Iberian pig carcasses. It also allowed for a greater typology of Iberian products, considering factors related to the animals' diet.

One of the highlighted aspects of this regulation was the inclusion of a list of municipal terms that host wooded pasturelands suitable for the feeding of Iberian pigs with the designation "acorn."

Furthermore, it focused on strengthening control mechanisms through provisions affecting Independent Control Entities.

However, after five years of implementing this standard, certain challenges were detected in the producer sector, such as a decrease in censuses and production of purebred Iberian pigs, as well as a reduction in extensive production systems linked to pasturelands. This indicated the need for new regulation in the sector.

Difficulties were also observed in terms of acceptance and consumer knowledge of the products, due to excessive variety of mentions on labels, which could lead to confusion. Additionally, there was inappropriate use of certain product designations in terms of typography and layout on labels, making effective identification by the consumer difficult.

Link to the Royal Decree: If you would like to read or download the complete Royal Decree on the Iberian quality standard, you can access it directly through the following link on the Official State Gazette website: https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/2014/BOE-A-2014-318-consolidado.pdf