Mondelez International will remove references to Switzerland from its Toblerone chocolate product line’s packaging in accordance with Swiss law, according to a report from The Associated Press. A planned move of some of the production from Switzerland to Slovakia is forcing the change.
In June, the company announced plans to outsource some operations to Bratislava, Slovakia, trading the ability to claim the product as a Swiss brand for access to a workforce with lower wages and cost of living.
Switzerland adopted a law in 2017 to protect Swiss manufacturers by formalizing the qualifications of what products could claim to be “Swiss” products, which carries the perception of high quality. For food products, at least 80% of the raw materials used in the product must come from Switzerland, and processing steps taken to give a product its “essential characteristics” must occur within the nation’s borders.
