Switzerland’s top court ruled Friday that plant-based drinks may not use the word “milk” in their marketing, rejecting an appeal from French dairy giant Danone.
In a decision that echoed a similar ruling in Britain last month, Switzerland’s Federal Court said it had dismissed an appeal from Danone and determined that “the designation ‘milk’ cannot be used for vegan products”.
The popularity of meat and dairy alternatives has surged in recent years, but the use of traditional terms like “milk” for plant-based products has been strongly contested by the agricultural sector.
The Swiss case centred on an oat drink sold under Danone’s Alpro brand in Switzerland, with packaging reading “Shhh… this is not milk”, with the “I” replaced by a white droplet.
In 2022, the Zurich Cantonal Laboratory banned the oat-based beverage from the market, saying that it violated the provisions of the Swiss law on foodstuffs.
The lab’s decision was upheld by the Zurich Cantonal Court, and Danone Switzerland then appealed to the Federal Court.
In a statement detailing Friday’s ruling, which brought four years of proceedings to a close, Switzerland’s highest court pointed to a 2025 legal precedent regarding the designation of “vegan” food products.
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Based on that precedent, it said, “in this concrete case, the designation ‘milk’ cannot be used for a vegan product”.
“In principal, the same applies if the specific term ‘milk’ is used in a negative statement,” it said, “or if it is modified typographically”, as in this case.
According to the Switzerland’s Foodstuffs Act, the presentation and labelling of foodstuffs must not mislead the consumer, particularly with regard to the production, composition, and nature of the product in question.
