General Snus - Contents

Contents

Swedish snus is made from air-dried tobacco from various parts of the world. In earlier times, tobacco for making snus was laid out for drying in Scania and Mälardalen. Later, Kentucky tobaccos were used. The ground tobacco is mixed with water, salt, and an alkylizing agent (today this is sodium carbonate) and aroma and is prepared through heating. In Sweden, snus is regulated as a food product, and for this reason, all ingredients are listed on the label of each individual package (can) of snus. Moist snus contains more than 50% water, and the average use of snus in Sweden is approximately 800 grams (16 units) per person each year. About 12% (1.1 million people) of the population in Sweden use snus . Unlike dipping tobacco and chew, most snus today does not undergo the fermentation process, but is instead steam-pasteurized. Although steam-pasteurization is remarkably complex, it has the advantages of inhibiting the growth of bacteria that facilitate the formation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, while preserving the desired texture and mouthfeel of the snus.

Snus is sold mainly in Sweden and Norway, and has more recently been introduced to South Africa and the US. It can be found in places frequented by Scandinavian tourists, such as Murmansk in Russia (with the notable exception of countries in the EU; see below). It is sold in small tins, which in the earlier years were made of porcelain, wood, silver or gold. At the time of writing, portioned snus usually comes in plastic tins of 24 portions, containing about a gram of snus each, while loose snus is mostly sold in compressed paper tins with plastic lids, at 45 g (50 g before 2008). Mini-portion and medium-portion snus are increasingly popular formats. Most of these products come in tins containing 20 portions, of either 0.65 or 0.5 grams each for a total of just under 13 or 10 grams, particularly with those for whom concealing their use of smokeless tobacco in places is of utmost importance.

Despite weight, the price of 10-, 13-, 24-, and 45-g tins is approximately -5 in Sweden and -10 in Norway as Norwegian consumption taxes are considerably higher. Prices in the US vary per tin, depending on brand and source. Local or state taxes may also add considerably to this price, and vary widely across states.