Special regulation for food
A special regulation applies to food for application of the Cassis de Dijon principle.
Food products that do not (fully) comply with Swiss technical regulations but which comply with the technical regulations of the EU or an EU/EEA member state and are lawfully sold there may also be sold in Switzerland. Unlike other products, foodstuffs require authorisation from the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office before being placed on the market for the first time (Art. 16c and 16d Law on Technical Barriers to Trade and Art. 4–11 of the Cassis de Dijon Ordinance [VIPaVl]). This authorisation is issued in the form of a general ruling and applies to all food products of the same type. The applicant must prove that the food product in question complies with the technical regulations of the EU or an EU/EEA member state and demonstrate that it is lawfully distributed in the EU or the respective EU/EEA member state. Furthermore, there must be no risk to overriding public interests (including the protection of human, animal or plant life and health), pursuant to Article 4 paragraph 4 letters a–e Law on Technical Barriers to Trade.
