HAMTRACE presented to ham producers at MESAP 2026, the International Ham Fair in Cetinje

Researchers from the University of Donja Gorica gave a lecture at the fifth edition of the fair and introduced the EU project HAMTRACE to producers from Montenegro and the wider region.

MSc Blažimir Ćetković (right) and spec. Sanja Savković (left) presenting HAMTRACE at MESAP 2026, Hotel Grand, Cetinje, 19 September 2026. Photo: UDG arhive.

Cetinje, October 2026. The fifth International Ham Fair, MESAP 2026, took place on 18–19 September 2026 at Hotel Grand in Cetinje. According to the Royal Capital Cetinje, this year's fair brought together exhibitors from Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Italy, and offered visitors a wide range of gastronomic and local products alongside a rich cultural and entertainment programme.

Representatives of the University of Donja Gorica (UDG), a partner in the Horizon Europe project HAMTRACE, attended the fair. MSc Blažimir Ćetković and spec. Sanja Savković gave a lecture and used the occasion to present HAMTRACE to the producers taking part.

Spec. Sanja Savković presented the work of UDG's laboratory for food quality and safety and the physico-chemical analyses that help producers check and document the quality of their products. MSc Blažimir Ćetković spoke about market positioning, branding, communication and consumer trust, and why a recognisable brand and a credible origin story matter for producers who want to grow.

HAMTRACE (Advancing European Dry Cured Ham Value Chains with Data-Driven Authentication and Global Traceability Standards) is a four-year Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchange project funded by the European Union. Ten organisations from Spain, Montenegro, Italy, France, Serbia and the United Kingdom work together to protect dry-cured hams from fraud and to help producers prove the origin and quality of their products, using chemical fingerprinting and blockchain-based traceability.

Why MESAP matters for HAMTRACE MESAP brings together the producers the project is designed to support. For Montenegrin pršut, and for dry-cured hams across Europe, a documented and verifiable origin is becoming as important as taste and tradition, especially for producers who want to sell beyond their home market. The fair offered a direct way to explain to producers how HAMTRACE's research on authentication and traceability can help them prove where their ham comes from and how it was made.

MSc Blažimir Ćetković and spec. Sanja Savković (UDG) next to the HAMTRACE banner at MESAP 2026, Hotel Grand, Cetinje, 19 September 2026. Photo: UDG archive.

"Physico-chemical analyses give producers objective data on the quality of their ham. HAMTRACE takes this a step further, towards proving where and how a ham was made," said spec. Sanja Savković from the University of Donja Gorica.

"A good product is only the start. Producers who want to reach new markets need a clear brand and a story consumers can trust, and a verifiable origin is the strongest basis for that trust," said MSc Blažimir Ćetković from the University of Donja Gorica.

Looking ahead On 1 October 2026, HAMTRACE partners from UAB and UDG met MARTEX, a Cetinje-based producer of dry-cured products active since 1992, together with the Montenegrin Pršut Cluster, which brings together leading ham producers from Cetinje. At the meeting, the partners agreed to explore a possible follow-up visit to Cetinje around the next edition of MESAP, together with other consortium partners.

About HAMTRACE HAMTRACE is coordinated by UAB (Spain) and includes UAB, University of Donja Gorica (Montenegro), Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), ALBA Synchrotron (Spain), CETI (Montenegro), ADERA/UT2A (France), DunavNET (Serbia), Europe for Business (UK), ASICI (Spain) and Food Hub (Italy).

About MESAP MESAP, the International Ham Fair in Cetinje, was initiated and is co-organised by the Montenegrin Pršut Cluster (Klaster Crnogorski pršut), an association of ham producers founded in Cetinje in 2017. “Crnogorski pršut” was entered in Montenegro’s register of geographical indications in 2018, and the cluster is now preparing for EU certification so that the product can obtain a protected European designation. The fifth edition of the fair took place on 18–19 September 2026.

Media contact: Lesley Tobin, lesley@e4business.eu; HAMTRACE Communication Team

Funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No 101236645). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.