Federal Council justifies rejection of food initiative with expected shift in consumption

Arguments of the Federal Council

The initiative demands that the state create framework conditions for more sustainable nutrition. The Federal Council takes the position that such an intervention would noticeably change the eating behavior of the population.

Parmelin cited the expected shift toward more plant-based products as a central point. According to the Federal Council's presentation, the consumption of meat, eggs, and milk would have to decrease significantly.

The discussion comes at a time when questions of food supply and Switzerland's self-sufficiency have gained in importance. The share of imported animal feed plays a role in this, as emerges from the parliamentary debates.

Impact on consumption

The voter's pamphlet will set out the Federal Council's position and the arguments of the initiative committee side by side. The voting population will decide on the initiative on this basis.

From the arguments published by the Federal Council, it emerges that the government considers the intervention in nutritional freedom to be too far-reaching. From the Federal Council's perspective, the initiative goes beyond existing promotional measures.

Next steps until the vote

The initiative had previously been debated in Parliament. The decision now lies with the voting population. The Federal Council recommends rejecting the initiative.