Due to the US owner of the company shifting partial production out of Switzerland, Toblerone bars, which are sold in more than 100 countries, can no longer be referred to as Swiss chocolate.
Due to Mondelez’s (MDLZ) decision to move some manufacturing to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, the peak-shaped delicacy made with honey and almond nougat will also be devoid of the recognizable Matterhorn mountain from its packaging.
“We are changing our production process for legal reasons, which requires us to modify our packaging to conform with Swissness regulations. According to a Mondelez spokeswoman, we have modified the phrase “of Switzerland” to “founded in” and removed the claim that Toblerone is truly Swiss from the front of the package.
National emblems like the Swiss cross are prohibited from being used on goods that don’t adhere to the Swissness Act, which was passed in 2017.
According to the law, food items marketed as “Swiss-made” must include at least 80% Swiss-sourced raw ingredients, with the percentage rising to 100% for milk and dairy products. With the exception of natural items like cocoa that cannot be supplied from Switzerland, essential processing must also be done within the nation.
The spokeswoman noted that Theodor Tobler’s autograph and “a distinctive new Toblerone typeface and emblem” are featured on Mondelez’s new packaging. Inventor Tobler and his cousin Emil Baumann, according to the Mondelez website, came up with the idea for the chocolate bar in 1908.
The spokeswoman stated, “Bern is and will always be a significant part of our history.
The “Swiss brand” can account for as much as 20% of the sale price of some products and as much as 50% for luxury goods, according to “many studies,” according to a government website for small firms in Switzerland.
The website states that the purpose of the “Swissness” Act is to safeguard the value of the Swiss mark.
