Jamón Serrano 

On 12 June the Fundación del Jamón Serrano Español will announce the ten winning videos selected from the "Jamón Serrano al Corto" short film festival, which will award prizes to creative, fantastic and original short films featuring Serrano Ham and other products under the Jamón Serrano TSG label.

First prize is a scholarship at a Design School valued at 2,300 Euros, and 1,700 Euros in cash. Second, third and fourth place videos will receive 500, 300 and 200 Euros, respectively, and fifth- through tenth-place runners-up will receive a Jamón Serrano with the Fundación counter label.

Each contestant was allowed to enter up to three short videos of a maximum of 90 seconds each in the film genre of his or her choice (fiction, documentary, stop motion, animation, experimental, motion graphics, etc.).

Fundación Activities in 2012

Activities at the Fundación del Jamón Serrano Español this year include plans for promotion and communication, internationalization, institutional relations, quality control and sector studies.

For brand and product promotion abroad, the Fundación is creating the "Original Flavors: The Mediterranean Essence" campaign, a three-year plan for product promotion together with extra virgin olive oil from Baena and DO Ribera del Duero wines in Poland, Germany and Denmark which will include seminars at culinary schools, workshops for chefs, Jamón Serrano slicing and tasting master classes, product tasting and pairing analysis.

The Fundación will also be participating at important food fairs in Europe and Asia, as well as in workshops, showrooms and seminars on Spanish diet and gastronomy, in collaboration with the Spanish Meat Export Office (OECE), the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation (FIAB).

For the Spanish market, this year's agenda includes a new series of campaigns at schools in various regions, training and information for wholesale workers, restaurant professionals and consumers, and slicing master classes and contests at catering and cooking schools.

Through their website, the Fundación will also continue to provide consumer information on nutrition, health and gastronomy, as well as on recognizing and differentiating Serrano Ham. Initiatives include a short video contest, among others, to stimulate interest in Serrano Ham through new technologies, viral marketing and social networks and to encourage direct contact and feedback from consumers.

Another aim of the Fundación is to have the European Union establish a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for Spanish Jamón Serrano. PGI is a quality designation which would provide a significant boost to the support and promotion of our product in the international sphere, protect the designation from potential initiatives from other countries, establish exclusivity for production in Spanish territory, strengthen the prestige of our product and differentiate it from others, and provide easier access to community funds for product promotion.

The Serrano Ham quality control policy will also remain in place, both in manufacturing centers and retail outlets in Spain and abroad through own inspections in order to further improve quality and differentiation and increase product guarantee for the consumer. The Fundación will likewise continue to participate in scientific and technical studies of interest for the sector, including the finalization of research on the shelf life of different product formats and studies on the prevalence of toxoplasma in Serrano Ham, as well as an interpretation guide to new labeling legislation.