Swiss food law to be adapted
The open sale of bakery products, protection against deception, food waste, information on food packaging and harmonization with the EU are at the center of the current revision of food law regulations.
On September 30, 2022, the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) has Consultation for the adaptation of Swiss food law has been opened. The proposed legislation should make it possible to maintain health and deception protection in Switzerland at the same level as in neighboring countries and to prevent possible trade barriers. Furthermore, four motions referred by parliament are to be implemented. A total of 23 ordinances are affected.
Where do bread and baked goods that are sold openly come from?
Consumers should be able to better identify the origin of bread and baked goods that are sold openly. Bakers, restaurants and retailers will now have to declare the country of production in writing for whole and sliced bread as well as for baked goods such as croissants.
Sell frozen food openly
In the future, retailers will be allowed to sell unpackaged, frozen foods openly. This will save packaging material. At the same time, the quality of food offered in this way must be protected. As with other openly sold foods, the necessary information must be made available to consumers in writing or by other means.
Fight Food Waste
Food establishments and distribution organizations must ensure that only food that is safe for human health is donated or given to food waste prevention organizations. New framework conditions are to provide legal certainty for the donation of food.
Protecting protected food designations even better
The control of agricultural products with a protected designation (e.g. Vacherin Fribourgeois or Valais raw ham) is to be strengthened in order to make imitations and deception more difficult. The branch and producer organizations should be able to commission private organizations for the control. These organizations should report violations to the cantonal food enforcement authorities, which are then responsible for implementing appropriate measures.
Simplify labeling for food from the EU
The detailed declaration of allergens on food packaging is mandatory in Switzerland, often voluntary in the EU. It will now also be possible under Swiss law to use group designations (e.g. nuts or gluten-containing cereals) instead of naming the specific allergen (e.g. hazelnut). This change will have no negative impact on consumer health. When voluntarily indicating the country of origin of an ingredient, it should now be possible to indicate a larger geographical area (e.g. EU or South America).
The consultation period ends on January 31, 2023, and the Federal Council or the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) will decide on the adjustments.
Source: BLV
