Food law and food safety

Manufacturers must meet strict requirements to ensure health protection and the hygienic handling of food as well as to protect against deception. These requirements are set out in the Foodstuffs Act (FSA) and the associated ordinances, directives and information letters.

Swiss food law is continuously being adapted to the current state of science and technology and harmonised with EU law. Nevertheless, discrepancies and the resulting barriers to trade persist in some areas.

You will find an overview of the Swiss food law here:

The regulations applicable in the country of destination must be observed for products to be exported. Since more than 70 per cent of Swiss chocolate is exported – most of it to EU countries – it is often the case that foreign law applies, particularly EU law. The Europa Institute at the University of Zurich (EIZ) maintains a list of EU food legislation which is regularly updated.

Many manufacturers market their products on both the domestic and foreign markets. Differences between the food legislation in individual countries lead to problems and to additional administrative work. Examples include different rules on the declaration of origin of ingredients or non-standardised maximum levels for contaminants (e.g. cadmium in chocolate). This is why CHOCOSUISSE is committed to ensuring rules which are as standardised as possible.

In implementing national and international food law, CHOCOSUISSE supports its member companies with various aids (e.g. interpretation aids, fact sheets), helps with questions of interpretation, and provides regular information on changes relevant to the industry.

These tasks are carried out by the branch office together with the CHOCOSUISSE commissions “Food Law Committee” and their sub-commission “Chocolate Section”.

Responsible commissions: Food Law Commission and the Chocolate Section