US meat is coming to Switzerland, but only in restaurants
Keystone-SDA
Despite a customs deal between Switzerland and the United States, US meat is unlikely to appear on Swiss supermarket shelves, according to a report by the news agency AWP.
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Major retailers have rejected the idea, but the catering industry is showing interest.
Preliminary figures from the Federal Customs and Border Security Service show that between December 10 – when the new rules took effect – and the end of 2025, Switzerland imported 20.3 tonnes of beef and 2.3 tonnes of bison from the United States, but no poultry.
Migros and Coop say Swiss meat remains the priority. “We see no need to import from the US,” a Coop spokesperson told AWP. Lidl and Aldi have also ruled out the move.
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By contrast, catering wholesalers such as GVFI and Transgourmet/Prodega are already bringing in American beef and bison. “We’ve already imported under the new customs rules,” says Olivier Freiburghaus of GVFI. Others, including Carnadis in the Lake Geneva region, are considering US bison burgers. “Many American firms want a foothold here,” says director Michel Delévaux, who is also open to chlorine-washed chicken, arguing that “there are no residues in the meat.”
Swiss law requires restaurants to state where meat and fish come from and whether hormones or growth promoters were used, but not necessarily on the menu, GastroSuisse says.
Translated from Italian by AI/sp
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