G/SPS/N/CHE/93  
25 May 2023  
(23-3586) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  SWITZERLAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:   Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office  (FSVO ) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  All mixed foodstuffs that might inadvertently be contaminated with 
an allergen. The allergen must be below the tolerable upper limit.  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Ordonnance du DFI concernant l'information sur les 
denrées alimentaires . Language(s):  French . Number of pages:  2 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/SPS/CHE/23_09794_00_f.pdf  
6. Description of content:  Producers are allowed to voluntarily indicate potential allergens 
(traces or unintentional mixtures) whose content is below the defined maximum level. 
Only in this cases it is allowed to use general terms such as "nuts", "hard -shelled fruit" or 
"edible nut " for allergens according to Annex 6 number 8 of the Ordinance on labelling of 
food stuffs or "cereals containing gluten" for allergens according to Annex 6 number 1 in 
such a case. It should be noted that the presence of peanuts must always be indicated 
separately as they are botanically and allergologically different from nuts (Annex 6 
item 5). 
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   G/SPS/N/CHE/93  
 
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  9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 31 October 2023  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 23 November 2023  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : 1 January 2024  
[X] Trade facilitating measure  Although the labelling of unintentional mingling of 
allergens is neither compulsory nor regulated in the E uropean Union, traces of 
allergens below the allergen -specific threshold are usually labelled with general 
terms such as "nuts" or "edible nuts". In order to ensure that products destined for 
the Europe an market can also be placed on the Swiss market without further trade 
barriers, unintended mingling of allergens shall be labelled with the group name.  
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 24 July 2023  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
State Secretariate for Economic Affairs SECO  
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Bern  
Switzerland  
E-mail: sps@seco.admin.ch  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [  ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
State Secretariate for Economic Affairs SECO  
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Bern  
Switzerland  
E-mail: sps@seco.admin.ch