A change in production location prevents the mountain range chocolate bar Toblerone from maintaining its “Swiss-made” status.
Formerly based in Bern, parent firm Mondelez International will relocate some of its manufacturing in Q3 2023 to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The well-known Matterhorn peak insignia, which has decorated the package of the triangle-shaped breakable treat since 1970, will reportedly be officially removed, according to CNN.
“We need to adjust our packaging to comply with Swissness legislation. We have removed our Swissness claim from the front of the Toblerone pack and changed our description ‘of Switzerland’ to ‘established in,’” the spokesperson said.
National emblems and the Swiss cross must comply with “Swissness” standards for product use, according to Switzerland’s 2017 Swissness Act. Except for the requirement for non-native natural products, the act mandates that the development and 80% of the food ingredients be in Switzerland.
The company makes more than 7 billion bars a year, with 120 countries receiving 97% of its exports. It claims that just in airport duty-free shops, one Toblerone is sold every two seconds.