Fast food ban in Switzerland?

The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to make us a healthier Switzerland. There’s talk of advertising restrictions, a sugar tax, and even a ban on fast-food restaurants. The statements made by two experts, who were invited by the federal government to important players in the food industry, are now the subject of discussion. “SonntagsZeitung” reported today the event organized by the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine (FSVO), which took place at the end of November.

WHO experts complained that Switzerland was lagging behind the world in the fight against unhealthy nutrition. They dared to cross-comparison with the tobacco industry. According to demand, the worldwide food industry needs stringent restrictions similar to cigarette manufacturers.

“WHO positions extreme”

As the newspaper reports, WHO expert Mirjam Heinen has particularly drastic measures in mind: “Taxes on unhealthy food, marketing restrictions, regulations for supermarkets.” Her colleague Katrin Engelhardt called for measures to be taken to protect children from the harmful effects of advertising. But why advance? Obesity is on the rise in Europe – WHO now wants to stop this trend.

“SonntagsZeitung” writes that the event, organized by the federal government, was not well received by the industry. WHO’s positions are extreme. The industry is docked as a villain. The motto is: Nothing works without strict regulation and restrictions,” said another person in the newspaper.

The demand for a ban on fast food restaurants in Switzerland has stirred things up. “It is incomprehensible that the Federal Office did not comment on a speaker’s statement at the forum that fast food restaurants should ideally be banned altogether,” Karola Krell, chair of the Food Industry Association’s Food Commission, told the newspaper. (no)