Swedish Snus Is Saved!

Snus, is a moist powder tobacco product originating from a variant of dry snuff in the early 19th century in Sweden. It is consumed by placing it under the upper lip for extended periods of time. The precursor of snus, the dry form of snuff inhaled through the nose, was introduced in Europe much earlier. Snus is not fermented and contains no added sugar. Although used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, snus does not typically result in the need for spitting and is different from naswar in that snus is steam-pasteurized. (Wikipedia)

Snus is widely consumed in Sweden by a large portion of the Swedish male population and some of the women too. It is considered a healthier way to consume nicotine and has the added benefit of not provoking spiteful comments or hateful glances like the ones smokers get for "polluting the environment".

Snus' sale is illegal in Turkmenistan and the European Union, but due to special exemptions, it is still manufactured and consumed primarily in Sweden and Norway.

The Swedish snus recently came under threat as the EU Commission in its proposed tobacco direktive wanted to regulate the flavors that could be used in snus. It was also suggesting a prohibition to add sodium carbonate, E 500, which is used in all Swedish snus to facilitate nicotine absorption. This prohibition would, according to the manufacturer Swedish Match, ultimately mean "the end of Swedish snus".

Todays meeting of the responsible EU ministers has in Swedish press been described as "a fateful day" for Swedish snus. However, the EU ministers today took Sweden's side, thereby leaving it up to Sweden to continue to determine the flavor and content of Swedish snus.

"I feel very happy", said Minister for Children and the Elderly Maria Larsson, to the waiting journalists on location in Luxembourg. "The joy is for the fact that the tobacco directive has been approved, but in particular the Swedish "victory" on snus. We actually saved the snuff to be free to decide on content, product marketing, ingredients, distinctive flavors and also sodium carbonate and the pouches can maintain their moisture."
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How's that for some first life drama?

The Shameless Grafter

Maltese John Dalli, the former Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs in the European Union resigned Tuesday due to charges of fraud.

The resignation occurred after the European Union's anti-fraud office, OLAF, presented the results of it´s investigation showing that a Maltese entrepreneur had approached the Swedish snus (Swedish snuff) producing company Swedish Match and, while referring to his close association with Mr. Dalli, tried to receive "substantial financial benefits" in exchange for influence over a future bill on removing the ban on sales of snus within the European Union.

However, no transaction occurred between Swedish Match and the entrepreneur. "We unfortunately found that the offer was credible and that it was linked to the Commission's political leadership. The professional decision was pretty simple: it was to say no. It is not in our DNA or culture - or the Swedish character, what do I know - that one works that way, it's completely unattractive" said a spokesperson for Swedish Match..

Dalli denies the charges, but the investigation by OLAF shows that he was aware of what had occurred between the Maltese entrepreneur and Swedish Match and had made no effort to distance himself from the matter or to report it.

Rumours claim that Dalli, when approached on the matter by José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, first refused to resign and only did so after being told that he would be fired if he didn't.

Unscrupulous and shameless use of one's position to derive advantages is always ugly. The statement by the spokesperson is rather touching though in all its innocence, because I could name at least five Swedish companies who under similar circumstances have - or would - accept such an offer without hesitation.

On Snus (a.k.a. Swedish Moist Snuff)

This is a guy putting in a sachet of snus under his upper lip
(from an article in the Finnish online news-site HBL.fi)

I thought the mention of Swedish moist snuff in the previous post might need some clarification for non-Scandinavians.

Snus is - next to smoking - one of the major ways to consume tobacco in Sweden. I should perhaps also mention that the most macho men and some very butch women don´t use the sachet-variety but digest snus in it´s "loose" form:

This is parts of the article on "snus" from Wikipedia: 

Snus (pronounced /ˈsnuːs/, Swedish pronunciation: [snʉːs]) or Swedish snuff, is a moist powder tobacco product originated from a variant of dry snuff in the early 19th century in Sweden, consumed by placing it under the lip for extended periods of time. The precursor of snus, the dry form of snuff inhaled through the nose, was introduced in Europe much earlier. Snus is a form of snuff that is used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, but typically does not result in the need for spitting. Snus is also unique in that it is steam-pasteurized rather than fire-cured, is not fermented and contains no added sugar. The sale of snus is illegal in the European Union, but due to exemptions, it is still manufactured and consumed primarily in Norway and Sweden. 

Its popularity is growing in the United States as an alternative to smoking and traditional "chewing" tobacco. In Sweden, snus is often used to quit smoking, which has lead to a significant decrease in the prevalence of smoking among men. In fact, Sweden has the lowest male smoking rate in the European Union. Females in Sweden, who are less likely to use snus, have similar smoking rates to neighboring countries.

Previously, Swedish snus was only available by mail order within the United States; however, an increasing number of tobacco retailers have begun to stock popular Swedish snus products. While it's packaged in much the same way (moist tobacco in a small pouch), production methods vary considerably from traditional Scandinavian methods. Additionally, differences in the way American snus is formulated may also diminish some of the possible benefits. 

Swedish Match, the leading manufacturer of Swedish snus, is currently test-marketing snus in Canada, Russia and several regions throughout the United States.

Watch the video "Swedish Snus - from seed to can"