Tighter rules for ‘Made in Switzerland’ label by 2017

Despite opposition from business associations, the Swiss cabinet approved the “Swissness legislation” on Wednesday that aims to tighten rules over the use of the “Made in Switzerland” designation as well as the Swiss cross. Arguments from Swiss businesses that it would hurt competitiveness of their products because of the strong franc did not stop the cabinet from approving the Swissness legislation passed by parliament on June 13, 2013. The legislation which comes into force from January 1, 2017 clearly spells out the conditions under which businesses can claim their products as being Swiss made. Agricultural produce of plant and animal origin (including milk and milk products) need to be 100% domestic in order to use the Swiss label while for food products 80% of the raw material must be sourced within Switzerland. The legislation also allows exceptions in certain cases where raw material is sourced from the border zones of Pays de Gex and the Haute Savoie region.