After being forced to ditch its Matterhorn logo in 2023, reports suggest that Toblerone will become even less Swiss by the end of the year. According to experts within the industry, the Swiss chocolate brand will soon stop using local milk in its products in a bid to cut costs.
Toblerone to phase out using Swiss milk, industry experts claim
Industry experts speaking anonymously to Blick have predicted that Swiss milk will no longer be used in the vast majority of Toblerone chocolate bars. All Toblerone destined for export around the world are set to use milk and milk powder imported from abroad, while farmers across the cantons will only supply the milk used in chocolates sold domestically.
The prediction follows Toblerone replacing the Matterhorn on its packaging in 2023 after Mondelēz, the international company that owns the brand, announced it would be moving part of its production to Slovakia. Because Swiss law only allows the use of the Swiss flag, historical sites and other symbols on brands where 80 percent of the product is made and / or sourced from Switzerland, Toblerone was no longer able to use the mountain.
Phasing out Swiss milk a hammer blow for local farmers
The prospect of Toblerone using imported milk and milk powder has caused alarm among farmers. "Mondelēz is a big fish for us," noted Swiss Milk Producers' Association (Swissmilk) Stephan Hagenbuch. The association estimated that Toblerone uses 40 million litres of Swiss milk a year, meaning the change would leave 6.300 cows out of the job.
"The manufacturers are under so much pressure that they are using every opportunity to save a few cents," noted Dairy Industry Association director Stefan Kohler, explaining that chocolate producers have been struggling with rising salaries and costs for raw materials. He said he feared that Toblerone would go the same way as Milka - a 100-year-old originally Swiss brand that is now exclusively manufactured in Germany. "It's sad for Switzerland, but Swissness doesn't matter to the global corporation."
Swiss milk producers in talks with Mondelēz
Both associations have promised to hold talks with Mondelēz, calling on them to scrap the plans. Swissmilk spokesperson Christa Brügger said they are "committed to genuine Swiss chocolate and [to make sure that], where necessary due to the recipe, Swiss milk is part of it so that consumers are not deceived."
"We will fight," Hagenbuch concluded, adding that in his opinion, if the milk and cocoa come from abroad it cannot be called Swiss chocolate. When contacted by Blick, Lindt & Sprüngli, Frey and Cailler all said they only use Swiss milk or milk powder in their chocolate.
Speaking to Blick, a spokesperson for Toblerone refused to deny or confirm the move. They said that they are constantly evaluating where to find ingredients while "taking sustainability, quality, innovation and costs into account." They assured that there is no talk of completely moving production away from Switzerland, noting that their factory in Bern remains “competitive.”