Atlas Taxonomy and Product Relationships

The Atlas holds named products, while the Codex explains processes, ingredients, hazards and product families. Taxonomy connects those layers so a reader can move from a product such as a dry-cured ham or fermented sausage to the relevant technical articles without replacing the product’s own identity.

A cured product can be classified simultaneously by species, anatomy, comminution, fermentation, drying, heat treatment, smoking, casing, shelf status and legal designation. These axes describe different properties, so the system should not force every product into one exclusive branch.

Visual similarity, ingredient overlap or a translated name does not make two products identical. A canonical relationship must distinguish exact identity, recognised regional variant, generic style, protected product, family membership and merely related technique.

Where a protected designation, standard of identity or official specification exists, its registered name and requirements control that status. The Atlas may still show a Curesmith adaptation, but the adaptation must be labelled separately and cannot inherit protected compliance.

Parent and child links organise navigation; aliases support discovery; related-product links show meaningful comparison; redirects preserve legacy routes; and cross-references connect product records to ingredients, processes and safety controls. Each relationship should have an explicit editorial purpose.

Taxonomy changes require stable IDs, documented redirects and reciprocal-link checks. New evidence may correct a designation, rename a product or split an overbroad family, but it should not silently rewrite historical names or erase regional distinctions.