Switzerland’s health insurers are hiring extra staff—not to process claims for surgery or cancer care, but to handle a surge in requests for weight-loss injections, reported SRF. A survey by SRF’s consumer programme Espresso found that such requests now account for up to a third of all reimbursement applications at several major insurers. At CSS, […]
Shark meat with dangerous mercury levels sold under misleading names
Nearly two-thirds of shark-meat samples tested in Switzerland and across Europe contain alarming levels of methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, according to a new study. Much of the meat is sold under misleading names, such as roussette, saumonette, chien de mer or veau de mer. A German laboratory analysed 44 samples of blue shark and seven […]
No more vegan chicken – Swiss court bans animal names for plant-based products
This week, Switzerland’s highest court has ruled that plant-based meat alternatives may no longer carry names that directly refer to animals, such as “vegan pork” or “plant-based chicken”, reported RTS. The Federal Court sided with the federal government in its appeal against a Zurich-based producer, Planted Foods, requiring it to rename several of its products. […]
Car tire residue found in vegetables sold in Switzerland
A study yet to be published by Switzerland’s Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO) found traces of car tire pollution in vegetables grown and sold in Switzerland, reported SRF. The study found chemical additives used in tire production in one third of the vegetables tested. Researchers at EPFL in Lausanne tested around […]
10 out of 13 bottled waters tested in Switzerland fail pollution test
Swiss broadcaster RTS recently had 13 brands of bottled water sold in Switzerland tested for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). 10 of the 13 tested positive. TFA is widely used in the pesticide, pharmaceutical and electronics industries. TFA belongs to a family of chemicals known as PFAS, chemicals that take a very long time to break down, […]
Mercury found in all Tuna tested in Switzerland
Over recent weeks, mercury found in the tinned tuna sold across Europe has sparked a debate about the product. This week, RTS revealed the mercury levels of much of the tinned tuna sold in Switzerland. Recent tests across Europe revealed that all of the nearly 150 brands of tuna tested contained mercury, with around 10% […]
Federal Council rejects “nutrition initiative”
It is well known that plants-based diets are easier on the environment. By one measure producing animal protein requires up to 17 times as much land as vegetable protein. With this in mind, a group has come up with a plan aimed at forcing agricultural and dietary change. This week, the Federal Council rejected to proposal, reported […]
Put your mushrooms in the sun for an autumn vitamin D boost
One source of vitamin D is sunlight. Sunlight interacts with our skin to produce it. As winter approaches, the amount of sunlight we are exposed to and its intensity falls. This means that during the winter, we are more reliant on getting vitamin D from what we eat. Mushrooms are a key source. However, the […]
WWF hits out at barbecue meat discounts
Meat for barbecues is often heavily discounted while discounts on plants-based products are relatively rare, according to a study by WWF Switzerland, reported RTS. Animal products benefitted from more frequent and higher discounts, said WWF. Out of 150 products discounted in Switzerland between the end of April and mid-May 2023, 95% were animal products, which […]
Häagen Dazs ice cream pulled from Swiss shelves
On 13 July 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) recommended that certain Häagen Dazs ice cream products not be consumed. The products include Häagen Dazs Vanilla Pint 460 ml, Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Mini-Cups 95 ml, Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Collection 95 ml x 4 and Häagen-Dazs Classic Collection 95 ml x 4. These products could […]
