Food sector

Many products from the EU and the EEA which previously had to be specially produced, repackaged or newly labelled for the Swiss market can now be imported more easily and without technical hurdles as a result of the so-called Cassis de Dijon Principle. The condition is that the products comply with the regulations of the respective EU or EEA country and have also been legally marketed there.

Parliament has adopted a special provision for foods: Foods that do not fully meet the technical regulations of Switzerland, must still be authorised by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). If there are no reservations regarding safety or protection against misrepresentation, then the authorisation is granted by the FOPH in the form of a general ruling.