Skip to content
Expodite

WTO notification · TBT

SwitzerlandUpdated: check whether it is now adopted or in force

Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles / Ordinance

Official title

Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles / Ordinance on Beverages / Ordinance on Information on Foodstuffs / Ordinance on the Lists of Countries Provided for in the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles

Switzerland issued an addendum on 25 June 2026 to the earlier TBT notification G/TBT/N/CHE/285. Addenda often report that a measure was adopted, changed, postponed or withdrawn. The measure was first notified on 12 April 2024. The comment period closed on 9 February 2025.

Get alerts for this product and marketCheck what this means for your products

Expodite puts notifications like this one in your Updates centre, matched to the HS codes of your products and the markets you export to. Opens the requirements check for Switzerland in your Expodite account.

Source: WTO ePing (opens in a new tab). Summaries by Expodite, which is independent of the WTO.

Published here:

Updated here:

At a glance

Products

MEAT AND EDIBLE MEAT OFFAL; EDIBLE VEGETABLES AND CERTAIN ROOTS AND TUBERS; EDIBLE FRUIT AND NUTS; PEEL OF CITRUS FRUIT OR MELONS

HS codes
  • 02 · Meat and edible meat offal
    • 02
  • 07 · Vegetables and certain roots and tubers; edible
    • 07 EDIBLE VEGETABLES AND CERTAIN ROOTS AND TUBERS
  • 08 · Fruit and nuts, edible; peel of citrus fruit or melons
    • 08 EDIBLE FRUIT AND NUTS; PEEL OF CITRUS FRUIT OR MELONS
Notifying member
Switzerland
Status
Updated: check whether it is now adopted or in force
Objectives
  • Consumer information, labelling
  • Other
Area
TBT: Technical product rulesTechnical barriers to trade
Notification type
Regular notification
Document symbol
G/TBT/N/CHE/285Latest notice: G/TBT/N/CHE/285/Add.2
Keywords
Labelling

Key dates

Distributed by the WTO
Comment deadline
Closed on 9 February 2025
Proposed adoption
Proposed entry into force

How to comment

The comment period closed on 9 February 2025. You can still raise concerns about the measure with your country's WTO TBT enquiry point, quoting the document symbol G/TBT/N/CHE/285/Add.2; it can take them up with Switzerland.

Find your country's enquiry point on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)

What the notification says

Latest notice (⁨G/TBT/N/CHE/285/Add.2⁩, 25 June 2026)

Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles / Ordinance on Information on Foodstuffs / Ordinance on the Lists of Countries Provided for in the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles

The modification lists countries that have legally prohibited painful methods for the production of certain foodstuffs of animal origin. During the public consultation (which lasts until October 2026) it is still possible to require the addition of a country to the list by providing the corresponding legal prohibition. Furthermore, import from Countries not listed does not automatically mean foodstuffs need to be labelled: the FAQ provide information for producers and exporters regarding the labelling requirements.

The proposal provides for mandatory labelling of animal products that are produced using pain-causing procedures without analgesia. The guiding principles of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in the area of animal welfare are used as a benchmark for the labelling requirement. Furthermore, a labelling obligation is provided for plant products that originate from a country in which the use of plant protection products listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (hereinafter Rotterdam Convention; SR 0.916.21) is not prohibited. In addition, for the labelling of wine and the indication of origin of food ingredients, Swiss law will be adapted to that of the EU in order to reduce barriers to trade. With regard to wine, a list of ingredients and a nutrition declaration will in future be mandatory for all wines, sparkling wines and semi-sparkling wines. This information can also be provided electronically. With regard to the labelling of the origin of quantitatively important ingredients, the requirement will apply in future irrespective of the presentation of the product, but instead of the country of origin also a larger geographical area can be indicated.

Notices on this measure

Every notice about this measure published here, newest first. Each one is the notifying member's own text.

  1. AddendumG/TBT/N/CHE/285/Add.2

    Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles / Ordinance on Information on Foodstuffs / Ordinance on the Lists of Countries Provided for in the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles

    The modification lists countries that have legally prohibited painful methods for the production of certain foodstuffs of animal origin. During the public consultation (which lasts until October 2026) it is still possible to require the addition of a country to the list by providing the corresponding legal prohibition. Furthermore, import from Countries not listed does not automatically mean foodstuffs need to be labelled: the FAQ provide information for producers and exporters regarding the labelling requirements.

    Open on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)Official WTO document (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)Notified document (English) (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)

  2. AddendumG/TBT/N/CHE/285/Add.1

    Comment deadline: Closed on 9 February 2025

    Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles

    The technical regulation provides for mandatory labelling of animal products that are produced using certain pain-causing procedures without analgesia in accordance with the guiding principles of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in the area of animal welfare. The following changes have been made to the originally notified version: - Meat from cattle that have been castrated without analgesia must be labelled. - Cow's milk from animals that have been dehorned without analgesia must be labelled. - Food of plant origin that comes from a country where pesticides that are internationally classified as hazardous are used does not need to be labelled.

    Open on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)Official WTO document (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)

  3. Regular notificationG/TBT/N/CHE/285

    Comment deadline: Closed on 11 June 2024

    Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles / Ordinance on Beverages / Ordinance on Information on Foodstuffs / Ordinance on the Lists of Countries Provided for in the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles

    The proposal provides for mandatory labelling of animal products that are produced using pain-causing procedures without analgesia. The guiding principles of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in the area of animal welfare are used as a benchmark for the labelling requirement. Furthermore, a labelling obligation is provided for plant products that originate from a country in which the use of plant protection products listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (hereinafter Rotterdam Convention; SR 0.916.21) is not prohibited. In addition, for the labelling of wine and the indication of origin of food ingredients, Swiss law will be adapted to that of the EU in order to reduce barriers to trade. With regard to wine, a list of ingredients and a nutrition declaration will in future be mandatory for all wines, sparkling wines and semi-sparkling wines. This information can also be provided electronically. With regard to the labelling of the origin of quantitatively important ingredients, the requirement will apply in future irrespective of the presentation of the product, but instead of the country of origin also a larger geographical area can be indicated.

    Open on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)Official WTO document (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)Notified document (French) (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Expodite writes its summary from the official record. The notification and the documents it notifies are on the WTO's own websites.

All updates from Switzerland

  1. WTO notificationTBTProposed measure, open for comments

    Revision of the Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Office of Communications on telecommunications installations (OOIT), (2 pages, in German and French). Revision, creation and…

    [Annex 2] Several radio interface regulations (RIR) are amended in line with the latest developments and European harmonization. Following radio interface regulations are amended (784.101.21/ …): RIR0501-33: Private IMT networks in the frequency range 3400 – 3500 MHz (Non-Public Network (NPN))…

    Symbol: G/TBT/N/CHE/306Comments until 13 December 2026

  2. WTO notificationTBTProposed measure, open for comments

    Draft Amendment of the Chemicals Act

    The national poison center provides important services to the public and healthcare professionals in cases of poisoning. However, the center’s funding is not adequately regulated. The current Chemicals Act provides for the designation and financial support of a poison center by the federal…

    Symbol: G/TBT/N/CHE/305Comments until 2 January 2027

  3. WTO notificationTBTProposed measure, open for comments

    Amendment of Annexes 2 and 3 of the Ordinance on Protection against Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Chemicals Ordinance; ChemO)

    Annex 2 ChemO: 1. Harmonized classifications and labelling of substances (24th ATP of the EU-CLP regulation): 38 substances or groups of substances are added to the List of harmonized classifications and labeling of dangerous substances, and 9 existing entries are modified. 2. The latest…

    Symbol: G/TBT/N/CHE/304Comments until 2 January 2027

  4. WTO notificationTBTProposed measure, open for comments

    Draft revision of the ordinance on energy efficiency

    As part of the present revision of the Energy Efficiency Ordinance of November 1, 2017 (EnEV; SR 730.02), adaptations to EU law are being made. Energy efficiency requirements are adapted to EU law in Annexes 1.18 (Local Space Heaters) and 2.2 (external power supplies). The existing exception to EU…

    Symbol: G/TBT/N/CHE/303Comments until 16 November 2026

All export regulation updates

Get these automatically for your products and markets.

Expodite matches each notification to the markets you export to and the HS codes of your products, and puts the ones that concern you in your Updates centre, with the date comments close.

Start freeSee export intelligence