vigialabs.
EN
EnglishEspañolFrançaisPortuguêsItalianoDeutschNederlandsDanskSvenskaNorskSuomiCatalà

Reading options

Text size
Colours
Spacing
Glossary ↓

Protected food names

IBÉRICO BRAND AND IDENTITY PROTECTION

“Pata negra” is a guarantee, not a sales pitch.
In online shops, adverts and search results.

  1. 01 / 08The search

    A customer searches for “pata negra” ham

    They expect a bellota (acorn-fed) 100% Ibérico ham: the only one that carries the black seal and the only one that may use that name in Spain, where it is made.

  2. 02 / 08The category

    The “pata negra” category mixes grades

    Alongside the 100% Ibérico there are 50% bellota, cebo de campo (free-range) and cebo (farm-fed) hams. The shop itself explains that pata negra carries a black tag.

  3. 03 / 08The seal

    A black label is not the black seal

    The brand’s label may be black. What certifies the grade is the numbered seal: here it is red, for bellota Ibérico, not 100%.

  4. 04 / 08The rule

    “Pata negra” only with the black seal

    Spain’s quality standard for Ibérico products (Royal Decree 4/2014) reserves the term for bellota 100% Ibérico ham. In the UK the term is not protected, but it is an offence to describe food in a way that is false or likely to mislead as to its nature, substance or quality (Food Safety Act 1990, section 15).

  5. 05 / 08The metadata

    The deception is in the code too

    “Ibérico puro”, a term the Spanish standard bans, on a ham that is 50% Ibérico, and a protected designation of origin that the product does not hold appear in the title and the description that search engines display.

  6. 06 / 08The imbalance

    Those who label correctly compete at a disadvantage

    The ad that promises “pata negra” at any price takes the clicks from the shop that respects each seal.

  7. 07 / 08The watch

    We detect every contradiction

    We cross-check text, image, seal and metadata, and document each finding with a screenshot, date, time and URL.

  8. 08 / 08The correction

    We work to make “pata negra” a guarantee again

    We submit the case file to Google Ads. With the same file, you or your adviser can report the shop to Trading Standards, through the Citizens Advice consumer service, and, where a protected designation of origin is affected, to its Regulatory Council in Spain. The decision is theirs; our job is to make sure they have all the evidence.

    Pata negra is a guarantee. Not a sales pitch.

Description of each scene
  1. A customer searches for “pata negra” ham. “pata negra ham” is typed into the browser. Two ads appear: “Pata Negra Ham · from £89” and “Bellota 100% Ibérico ham · Black seal · certified”. On the right, a ham with a black seal under the heading “What the customer expects”.
  2. The “pata negra” category mixes grades. The shop shows the category “Pata Negra Hams” with four hams: bellota 100% Ibérico with a black seal and a tick, and three with a red cross: bellota 50% with a red seal, cebo de campo 50% with a green seal and cebo 50% with a white seal. On the right, the category text: “Pata negra hams always carry a black tag and are 100% Ibérico”, followed by “But it includes” and the three grades.
  3. A black label is not the black seal. Product page for “Bellota Ham 50% Ibérico”, at £349, with the tag “In Pata Negra Hams”. A red circle pulses over the seal. A magnifying glass enlarges the top of the ham: the brand’s label is black and the seal is red.
  4. “Pata negra” only with the black seal. Table “Spanish standard · RD 4/2014” with the four seal colours. Black, bellota 100% Ibérico: may be called “pata negra”. Red, bellota Ibérico; green, cebo de campo Ibérico; and white, cebo Ibérico: all three with a cross.
  5. The deception is in the code too. Code of the product page with three areas highlighted in red: the title “Ibérico Puro Bellota Ham 50%”, the description “Jabugo Ham for sale…” and the link to “pata-negra-hams”. On the right, the search result with that title and that description, and three notes: “puro” on a 50% Ibérico; “Jabugo” without the PDO; and “pata negra” category.
  6. Those who label correctly compete at a disadvantage. A cursor clicks on the ad “Pata Negra Ham · from £89” and three call icons appear; the ad that respects the seal fades. A set of scales tips: “‘Pata negra’ for all” weighs more than “Respects the seal”.
  7. We detect every contradiction. The VigiaLabs lighthouse sweeps the category and corner marks frame the three hams that are not pata negra. A case file records four findings: “pata negra” on 50% and cebo, red seal in the photo, “ibérico puro” in the title and an uncertified PDO in the metadata, alongside “screenshot · date · time · URL”.
  8. We work to make “pata negra” a guarantee again. Three paths lead from the case file to three destinations: Google Ads, Trading Standards and the Consejo Regulador, the Regulatory Council. “Report sent with evidence” appears, with a review after 7 and 30 days and monitoring of repeat offences. In the shop, the three hams that are not pata negra leave the category and the label “Black seal only” appears.

IN SHORT

The “pata negra” category mixes grades

Alongside the 100% Ibérico there are 50% bellota, cebo de campo (free-range) and cebo (farm-fed) hams. The shop itself explains that pata negra carries a black tag.

01

The rule

In Spain, where it is made, only bellota 100% Ibérico ham may be called “pata negra”.

02

The seal

That ham carries a black seal.

03

The category

Some shops call hams of other grades “pata negra”.

04

The imbalance

That misleads the customer and harms those who sell honestly.

05

The watch

VigiaLabs checks the shops, keeps the evidence and prepares the case file for those who can act.

06

The correction

The platform or the authority decides what to do.

OUR APPROACH

Your reputation extends beyond your website.

What we examine

  • Brand mentions and visuals
  • Network membership claims
  • Changes on observed pages

What you gain

Visibility into possible confusion affecting your brand and authorised partners.

  1. 01

    The deception is in the code too

    “Ibérico puro”, a term the Spanish standard bans, on a ham that is 50% Ibérico, and a protected designation of origin that the product does not hold appear in the title and the description that search engines display.

  2. 02

    We detect every contradiction

    We cross-check text, image, seal and metadata, and document each finding with a screenshot, date, time and URL.

  3. 03

    We work to make “pata negra” a guarantee again

    We submit the case file to Google Ads. With the same file, you or your adviser can report the shop to Trading Standards, through the Citizens Advice consumer service, and, where a protected designation of origin is affected, to its Regulatory Council in Spain. The decision is theirs; our job is to make sure they have all the evidence.

WHAT APPLIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Three cases, three different rules.

What applies depends on what is claimed for the ham: a quality term, a protected name from Spain, or the name of a protected British ham.

01

“Pata negra” on an imported Ibérico ham

“Pata negra” is not a protected name in the UK: it is not in the UK register. Spain’s Royal Decree 4/2014 reserves it for bellota 100% Ibérico ham, but that rule covers ham made or sold in Spain. In the UK the general rules apply. Food information must not mislead as to the nature, composition or method of production of a food, in advertising too (assimilated Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, article 7), and it is an offence to label or advertise food with a description that is false or likely to mislead as to its nature, substance or quality (Food Safety Act 1990, section 15). Local authorities enforce both.

02

A Spanish protected name the product does not hold

Jabugo, Guijuelo, Dehesa de Extremadura and Los Pedroches are registered PDOs in the UK. A registered name is protected against misuse, imitation or evocation, even where the true origin is shown or words such as “style” or “type” are added (assimilated Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, article 13). The UK schemes protect names on products sold in Great Britain; in Northern Ireland the EU schemes apply. A compliance notice can be followed by a penalty of up to £40,000.

03

British hams with a protected name

Two British hams are registered, both as PGIs: Carmarthen Ham and New Forest Pannage Ham. They have the same protection, as do the EU hams that were protected at the end of 2020, such as Prosciutto di Parma or Jambon de Bayonne. “Wiltshire Cured Ham” was refused registration and “York ham” is not in the register: neither is a protected name.

Spanish ham names registered in the UK

  • Jabugo (PDO)
  • Guijuelo (PDO)
  • Dehesa de Extremadura (PDO)
  • Los Pedroches (PDO)
  • Jamón de Teruel / Paleta de Teruel (PDO)
  • Jamón de Trevélez (PGI)
  • Jamón de Serón (PGI)
  • Jamón Serrano (TSG)

British hams with a registered name

  • Carmarthen Ham (PGI)
  • New Forest Pannage Ham (PGI)

Official sources read on 6 October 2026.

Illustrative caseVL / IBÉRICO
Pata Negra HamsBellota 100% IbéricoBlack sealBellota 50% IbéricoRed sealCebo de campo 50% IbéricoGreen sealCebo 50% IbéricoWhite seal
What search engines readIbérico Puro Bellota Ham 50%…Jabugo Ibérico Ham for sale at the best price…
Your brandDetected usesAffiliation to review

Brands & networks

“Pata negra” only with the black seal

Spain’s quality standard for Ibérico products (Royal Decree 4/2014) reserves the term for bellota 100% Ibérico ham. In the UK the term is not protected, but it is an offence to describe food in a way that is false or likely to mislead as to its nature, substance or quality (Food Safety Act 1990, section 15).

The metadata“Ibérico puro”, a term the Spanish standard bans, on a ham that is 50% Ibérico, and a protected designation of origin that the product does not hold appear in the title and the description that search engines display.

  • 01“Pata negra” on 50% and cebo
  • 02Red seal in the photo
  • 03“Ibérico puro” in the title
  • 04Uncertified PDO in metadata

PUTTING THE PLATFORM ON NOTICE

The platform decides. The case file puts on record that it was told.

Whether an ad is removed is the platform’s decision. A case file with dated, verifiable evidence puts on record that it was told. Under the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, a host is not liable for what it stores while it has no actual knowledge that it is unlawful; once it knows, it keeps that protection only if it acts expeditiously to remove the information or disable access to it.

What a court looks at in a notice

  • Whether it reached the provider through its published contact details
  • The sender’s full name and address
  • Where the information is
  • Why it is unlawful

What a notice does not guarantee

No notice guarantees removal. Knowledge is judged ad by ad: the record does not make the platform liable for what it was never told about, and whether the protection is lost in a given case is for a court to decide.

  1. 01

    A notice the platform can check

    Each notice gives the exact address of the ad, explains why it is unlawful and attaches dated evidence that a third party can verify. The platform can assess the facts without investigating them itself.

  2. 02

    A record of notices and replies

    VigiaLabs keeps every notice sent and every decision of the platform, with their dates. If the ad comes back, it is documented again and added to the same record.

  3. 03

    If the breach continues

    The record shows what the platform was told and when. A court deciding whether the platform had actual knowledge takes into account the notices it received and what they contained.

  4. 04

    If the platform does not act

    VigiaLabs follows each notice until the platform decides. If the matter is to go to an authority or to court, you or your adviser take it there with the same record.

GLOSSARY

The terms and the sources, in plain view.

Every case is documented with sources and context. Scope is agreed for each market; the references on this page are to the law of the United Kingdom.

Pata negra
A term the Spanish standard reserves for bellota 100% Ibérico ham.
Seal
A numbered tag fixed to the leg (precinto in Spanish). Its colour shows the grade: black, red, green or white.
Bellota
Acorn-fed: the pig eats acorns in the open during the montanera.
Montanera
The season, from autumn to winter, when the pig eats acorns in the dehesa woodland.
Cebo and cebo de campo
A pig fed on feed: on a farm (cebo) or free-range (cebo de campo).
% Ibérico breed
The share of Ibérico breed in the animal: 100%, 75% or 50%.
Brand label
The producer’s label. It does not certify the grade; the seal does.
PDO
Protected designation of origin (DOP in Spanish), such as Jabugo or Guijuelo. Names protected in the EU at the end of 2020 are also protected in Great Britain.
RD 4/2014
Royal Decree 4/2014, Spain’s quality standard for Ibérico products. It defines the grades and the colour of each seal.
Metadata
Text on a web page that search engines read, such as the title or the description.
Trading Standards
Local authority services that enforce consumer law. In England and Wales, reports reach them through the Citizens Advice consumer service.
Consejo Regulador
Regulatory Council: the body in Spain that manages and supervises a designation of origin.

References

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Those who call a ham “pata negra” when it is not gain an unfair advantage.

The advert that promises “pata negra” at any price takes the clicks from the shop that respects each seal. Documenting each contradiction helps those who label correctly to compete on equal terms.

Which ham can be advertised as “pata negra” in the UK?

“Pata negra” is not a protected name in the UK, but it is an offence to label or advertise food with a description that is false or likely to mislead as to its nature, substance or quality (Food Safety Act 1990, section 15). In Spain, where the ham is made, Royal Decree 4/2014 reserves the term for bellota 100% Ibérico ham, the only one that carries the black seal.

An online shop calls hams “pata negra” when they are not. What can I do?

Document it. VigiaLabs cross-checks text, image, seal and metadata, and documents each finding with a screenshot, date, time and URL. We submit the case file to Google Ads and, with the same file, you or your adviser can report the shop to Trading Standards, through the Citizens Advice consumer service, and, where a protected designation of origin is affected, to its Regulatory Council in Spain.

Can a Regulatory Council or an association of Ibérico producers use it?

Yes. Jabugo, Guijuelo, Dehesa de Extremadura and Los Pedroches are registered PDOs in the UK, protected against misuse, imitation or evocation, even where the true origin is shown or words such as “style” or “type” are added (assimilated Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, article 13). The case file gathers the adverts and the shops that claim a designation the product does not hold.

Can the deception be in what search engines show rather than on the page?

Yes. “Ibérico puro”, a term the Spanish standard bans, or a protected designation of origin that the product does not hold can appear in the title and the description that search engines display. That is why we also check the metadata of each page.

Does VigiaLabs guarantee that the shop will correct the advert?

No. The decision lies with the advertising platform, with Trading Standards or with the Regulatory Council that receives the case file, and VigiaLabs does not promise an outcome. Our job is to make sure they have all the evidence.

What happens if the platform does not remove the reported ad?

The decision is the platform’s, but it is on record. VigiaLabs keeps every notice, with its dated evidence, and every reply. Under the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, a host that has actual knowledge of unlawful information keeps its protection from liability only if it acts expeditiously to remove it. With that record, you or your adviser can take the matter to an authority or to court.

LET’S LOOK FURTHER

A clearer view starts
with a conversation.

Tell us what you want to monitor. Together, we will define a scope that makes sense for your business.

Discuss your project

A focused conversation about your goals, markets and priorities.