Questions & Answers

Snus is a perishable good and should be kept in a refrigerator (4-8°C) to ensure ultimate shelf life. When stored properly, the shelf life is 14 weeks for loose snus, 20 weeks for portion snus and 30 weeks for dry portion products (Catch Dry snus). For longer storage, we recommend that you freeze the snus. Snus can be kept frozen for about one year.

Snus is a perishable good and should be kept in a refrigerator to ensure ultimate shelf life. For longer storage, we recommend freezing in air-tight freezer bags. Snus can be stored this way for up to one year. Snus in paper cans should be thawed in the refrigerator so that condensation on the surface does not dissolve the glue seal of the paper can or the label on the outside of the can. When you thaw portion snus stored in plastic cans, room temperature is sufficient.

Snus can be kept frozen for about one year. See the recommendation about storage above.

Yes, you can refreeze snus, but the moisture and consistency may be affected. We recommend that you always store snus in the refrigerator.

Normally, the snus dries out and loses its aroma and flavor, but it does not become hazardous just because it is old. The snus cans are always labeled with the date of manufacturing and the best-before date, which we recommend you follow. If the snus is stored in a cool place, it will generally last longer than what is indicated by the best-before date.

Snus dries out as a result of incorrect storage. This can happen if the snus has not been refrigerated for a longer period, even if the best-before date has not expired. This often results in changes in aroma and flavor, which is why it does not help to hydrate a snus that is already dry. The best solution is to make sure that snus does not dry out through proper storage.

The entire snus blend in the pouch is biodegradable, which is also the case for most of the paper. While the snus blend breaks down quickly, it takes longer for the paper since the paper contains binding agents.

Snus is made of a plant material, the tobacco plant, which is broken down in nature. This means that composting loose snus is not a problem. However, portion snus should not be put in the compost. The material in which the portion snus is encased is basically the same as in tea bags and consists mainly of cellulose fibers. These fibers are held together with a binding agent that slows down the degradation process.

All our packaging material can be recycled. The plastic cans and lids should be sorted as hard plastic, and the paper cans as cardboard. The paper cans from Swedish Match are always made out of recycled paper.

Our plastic cans and lids are made of polypropylene and the 10-pack roles are vacuum packed in polyethene. These plastics, when completely incinerated, only exude carbon dioxide and water. All paints in the plastic are approved for food packages. Our plastic cans and lids are therefore recyclable.

The average user of snus consumes about 3.8 cans per week.

More than one million Swedes use snus regularly. Of these, approximately 80% are men and 20% are women. About 24% of adult men and 5% of adult women use snus daily or now and again.

Users in northern Sweden use more loose snus than the rest of the country. Ettan Lös has many users in the north, as does the loose snus version of General.

Mini portions that have a traditional tobacco flavor are more common in Svealand than in the rest of the country, but they use less loose snus.

Göteborgs Rapé is more popular in western Sweden than in the rest of the country.

Users in southern Sweden use more flavored mini products than the rest of the country. Ettan and Grov, which have a richer tobacco flavor, are not used to the same extent here.

All our snus is made with selected types of tobacco, water, various salts and aroma substances. Snus production in Sweden has been regulated by food legislation since 1971 and today, there are strict limits regarding the levels of undesirable substances in the finished products – just as for other Swedish food. Only food-approved ingredients are used in snus and production is carried out in plants that are hygienically designed for food processing facilities. Snus contains the following ingredients:

Water: for texture.

Tobacco: contains nicotine and gives the product its characteristic flavor and aroma.

Salt: flavor enhancer and preservative, which contributes to extending the shelf life of snus.

Humectant: a substance that is added to prevent the snus from drying out. Also has a certain preservative effect since it lowers the water activity in the finished product and thereby inhibits bacterial growth.

pH stabilizer: used primarily to maintain a slightly basic pH level, which makes it easier to absorb nicotine.  It also gives the snus its characteristic flavor and aroma, and extends the shelf life of the snus.

Aromas: they give the different products their characteristic flavor and scent, and are made of natural or synthetic nature-identical aroma substances that are approved for use in food. This also includes smoke aromas.

Sweeteners (only in certain products): give various products a balanced sweetness, characteristic flavor and scent.

Plant fibers (only in certain products): a filler that makes the portion softer.

See the full list of ingredients by product here.

No sugar is added to snus from Swedish Match. However, the tobacco plant contains some natural sugar. Most of the natural sugar is broken down during processing and the sugar content in the finished snus is less than 1%.

The binding agent used in the paper is the paper supplier’s company secret. However, we always make sure that the paper we use in our snus production is approved for food by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Germany (BfR), which is a European standard, and by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. The binding agent used in our portion products never contains animal-based additives.

The nicotine content in snus varies between different products. In Swedish Match’s products, nicotine content varies between 0.75% and 3%. How much nicotine can be extracted from the product depends not only on the nicotine content but also the form, flavor, moisture, pH level and the type of portion paper used.

The actual nicotine content in the snus is not always the same as the perceived nicotine strength. Several correlating factors affect how strong you perceive the snus to be, such as the pH level of the snus, its moisture content and the format of the portion. Absorption rates vary from person to person too. The nicotine content indicated in the List of ingredients is therefore not conclusive. For example, Catch Dry Licorice Mini has a nicotine content of 1.5%, while General White Portion has a nicotine content of 0.8%. Nonetheless, both products are categorized as “normal strength” since the pouch used for Catch Dry weighs less, is drier and has a lower pH level, which means that it delivers a lower amount of nicotine than the standard White portion.

This is why it its best to read what is said on the can if you want to know if the perceived strength is “Normal”, “Strong”, “Extra Strong” or “Super Strong”. Here you can read more about how we assess the strength of a snus. You can also use the filters to find a snus of a certain strength here. 

No, you can rest assured that it does not. Snus from Swedish Match does not, nor has it ever, contained glass. The myth concerning glass in snus is old and we can only speculate about its origin. It used to be that salt crystals crystallized in dried-out loose snus and were mistaken for glass.

Our snus recipes are Swedish Match’s company secret. Examples of flavorings available are licorice, lemon oil and rose oil. All flavorings and additives are approved for use in food processing and comply with Swedish Match’s ingredients policy.

Our product launches are confidential but we publish information about new products in connection with a launch date on our website under News. We are always interested in developing new products and would like to know your preferences. E-mail us at customerservice@swedishmatch.com.   

We continuously revise and update our product portfolio. Sometimes we discontinue products that no longer have a place in the portfolio, but only after careful analysis. When we do so, it is to make room for new products and flavors. In some cases, we launch limited editions, which means that it has been pre-decided to sell the product for only a limited period.

The date codes on the bottom of the can are the manufacturing date and best-before date. For example, the manufacturing date 11FEB2013 stands for February 11, 2013. The best-before date 01JUL2013 stands for July 1, 2013. Other characters (for example, 13015K6013) indicate a specific batch number for the snus blend from processing and production codes. This is information for the production plant so that they can trace the production tool in the event of product returns.

The oval paper can was introduced in 1907. In 1967, Svenska Tobaks AB (today, Swedish Match) introduced the company’s characteristic round can, which replaced the oval ones. The round cans, in their original shape and size from 1967, are still used today for Swedish Match’s loose snus products Ettan, General and Grovsnus. All the different types of snus packaging throughout the years can be seen at Snus- och Tändsticksmuseum (The Snus and Match Museum) at Skansen in Stockholm. For more information you can visit their website.

The paper can is the original, traditional snus packaging. Today, it is made of recycled paper and used for loose snus. Because portion snus is more sensitive to drying out than loose snus, a tighter fitting can is necessary. This is why portion snus is packed in plastic cans.

Health warnings have been printed on the Swedish and Norwegian snus cans since 1976. However, the message has varied over time. One major change was when lawmakers decided that there was no longer any scientific reason to put cancer warnings on the cans and the requirement was subsequently revoked in 1992. After Sweden’s adoption of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive, two health warnings are required as of May 20, 2016. In addition to the health warnings on the bottom of the cans, health warnings are also printed on the banner on the side of the can. 

Our loose snus is packaged in cans containing 42g of snus, except for special editions such as General Kardus. How much snus is in our portion products varies between the different brands and the size of the portion. A Large portion weighs between 0.7 and 1.1g, a Slim portion between 0.8 and 0.9g, a Super Slim 0.55g and a Mini portion between 0.3 and 0.5g, depending on the product. Just as the different portions weigh different amounts, the number of portions in the can varies between the different products. Information about weight by portion and the number of portions in the can is available under “properties” on each product page here.