The European Commission prohibits Joselito from attributing “healthy properties” to its serrano ham

The Cárnicas Joselito company, based in Guijuelo (Salamanca), You will not be able to declare that the consumption of your ham has “healthy properties”such as “reducing the concentration of LDL cholesterol in the blood or blood pressure, and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.” This is what the European Commission (EC) has determined in Regulation 2025/2222 that is published this Wednesday by the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), by which it “denies the authorization of a declaration of health properties on foods relating to the reduction of the risk of disease”, in this case of Joselito hams.

In the regulations, The EC states that health claims on food are prohibitedunless authorized by the Commission under Regulation 1924/2006 and included in a European Union (EU) list of permitted claims. Joselito asked the European Food Safety Authority (Aesan) to issue an opinion on “the scientific basis of a health claim relating to its ham.”

Specifically, he associated his intake “a health benefit, by causing an increase in antioxidant substances in the body, reduce blood pressure and plasma triglycerides, produce a decrease in oxidative stress and cause a preventive effect regarding diseases related to the cardiovascular system and the intestines.

There is no cause-effect relationship

After Aesan requested clarification from Cárnicas Joselito, the firm later specified that the cardiovascular disease in question was, “in particular, atherosclerosis”. Joselito also pointed out four risk factors, which are “high concentrations of LDL cholesterol in the blood, low concentrations of HDL cholesterol in the blood, increased blood pressure (hypertension) and excessive accumulation of fat (obesity).”

In July 2024, Aesan, in a scientific opinion, concluded that “A cause-effect relationship had not been established between the consumption of Joselito ham and the reduction of the concentration of LDL cholesterol in the blood or blood pressure”. The EC, after the publication of said opinion and having not received any observations from Cárnicas Joselito on its content, has denied the authorization of a declaration of health properties for this food, according to the published regulation