Better protection of product names
In a report, the Federal Council proposes a number of measures to provide better protection for protected food product names.
There have recently been several food scandals and competition-distorting cases of fraud in connection with protected names of agricultural products. These have included, for example, organic certifications, mountain and alpine products or protected wine designations. In a report, the Federal Council proposes a number of measures to provide better protection against fraud for producers and consumers. The government places particular importance on improving coordination and information exchange between the authorities involved, both at government and cantonal level.
Common information platform
For analysis purposes, various legal bases and their implementation were examined. One resulting measure involves improving the obligation to report irregularities discovered during inspections. According to the report, irregularities are rarely reported, despite there being an obligation to do so. Furthermore, the Federal Council aims to encourage the authorities to improve enforcement of penalties in cases where the rules have been infringed. The Federal Council also proposes setting up a common information platform, which federal and cantonal authorities can use to share information and inspection results.