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 […]
Rising mental distress among Swiss welfare recipients
A report published this week, shows welfare rates in 2023 were at their lowest in many years. At the same time, the percentage of those receiving welfare in mental distress is rising. Across the 14 cities included in the report, social assistance rates are lower than they have been for a long time. The number […]
Switzerland’s Socialist Party wants government to buy drug company
This week, the Socialist Party called on the Swiss government to buy Sandoz, a large maker of generic and biosimilar drugs, reported SRF. At a time when there are shortages of certain medicines, the party argues that profit maximising companies cannot be relied on to produce the drugs needed by the population at affordable prices. […]
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 […]
Widespread hygiene deficiencies in Swiss hospitals
According to a study by Swissmedic, there are deficiencies in the disinfection, sterilisation, packaging and storage of medical products in Swiss hospitals. The recently published report based on a study done in 2023 by Swissmedic shows that almost all of the 25 Swiss hospitals inspected have deficiencies in the disinfection, sterilisation, packaging and storage of […]
Mushroom picking warning heightened due to lack of antidote
Consuming some mushrooms can be deadly. The risk of fatality is even higher this mushroom season due to a shortage of antidote, warned tox info this week. According to RTS, around 100 people are poisoned by mushrooms a year. The toxic mushrooms for which there is currently no antidote are known as Death cap (Amanite […]
Rising number of Swiss report sleeping problems
In 2022, a third of Switzerland’s population suffered from challenges sleeping, up 5 percentage points from 1997, according to a survey by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The proportion of people with sleep disorders in Switzerland rose 5 percentage points over the 25 years between 1997 and 2022, with a significant rise starting in 2012. […]
Swiss to vote on biodiversity initiative
On 22 September 2024, the Swiss will vote on two popular initiatives. The first is the biodiversity initiative “For the future of our nature and our landscape”. The second is on a plan to reform Switzerland’s occupational pension system. Biodiversity, a term referring to the number of living organisms and the habitats that support them, […]
How to avoid death and injury from lightning
Switzerland is no stranger to violent storms, which sometime come out of nowhere when hiking in the mountains. According to experts, most people struck by lightning survive. But the risks of suffering long term damage are high, reported SRF. The electricity discharged by lightning can be as high as 100,000 amperes, according to Christian Franck, […]
