G/SPS/N/CHE/77  
 
21 August 2019  
(19-5383) 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  
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 product containing traces of GMO being authorised according to 
EU Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003.  
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:  Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles (Foodstuffs 
Ordinance) (FSO); and FDHA Ordinance on Genetically Modified Foodstuffs (GMFO) . 
Language(s):  German, French and Italian . Number of pages:  7 and 4  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/CHE/19_4513_00_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/CHE/19_4513_00_x.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/CHE/19_4513_01_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/CHE/19_4513_01_x.pdf  
https://m embers.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/CHE/19_4513_02_x.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/CHE/19_4513_03_x.pdf  
6. Description of content:  GMO that have been tested and permitted in the EU for food, 
shall be tolerated in Switzerland as traces in an amount of up to 0.5% m/m.  
The Swiss system allows for food that is considered not to contain GMO, a contamination 
of up to to 0.5% m/m of 5 GMOs (Ma is NK603, Mais GA21, Mais 1507, Mais 59122 and 
Soja MON89788). Food containing traces of other GMO than the ones listed above is to 
be destroyed. The new ruling allows traces of GMO that are permitted in the EU under 
regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 as food. T hese GMO are tolerated as traces in an amount 
of up to 0.5% m/m in food in Switzerland. Notwithstanding the above, all measures 
possible have to be taken to avoid cross contamination of non -GMO food with GMO.   
Different authorisation procedures for food or  ingredients using GMOs apply in the EU and 
Switzerland. As these products were produced from a GMO, then separated, concentrated 
and chemically defined, they are no longer considered as GMO. The authorisation 
procedure for these substances will be a novel  food authorisation, in line with the EU 
approach.  
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.   G/SPS/N/CHE/77  
 
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  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:   
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 19 March 2020  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 13 April 2020  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : 1 May 2020  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 20 October 2019  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax numb er and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO  
Special Foreign Economic Services  
Non-Tariff Measures Division  
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:   
Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO  
Special Foreign Economic Services  
Non-Tariff Measures Division  
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Bern  
Switzerland  
E-mail: sps@seco.admin.ch