G/TBT/N/CHE/203  
3 September 2015  
(15-4456)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: French  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Notifying Member: SWITZERLAND 
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible: Office fédéral de la sécurité alimentaire et des affaires vétérinaires , 
OSAV (Federal Office for Food Se curity and Veterinary Affairs) 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:  
Secrétariat d'Etat à l'économie , SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs) 
Holzikofenweg 36 3003 Berne 
Fax: +41 (0)58 464 09 58 
Email: tbt@seco.admin.ch  
Website: http://www.seco.admin.ch/  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2. 10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ],  5.7.1 [ ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provid ed in addition where applicable):  
 Food 
 Water intended for human consumption or to come into contact with the human 
body 
5. Title, number of pages and lang uage(s) of the notified document:  
 Ordonnance sur les compléments alimentaires (Ordinance on food supplements) (20 
pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les nouvelles sortes de denrées alimentaires  (Ordinance on new 
types of food) (14 pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les denrées alimentaires destinées aux personnes ayant des besoins 
nutritionnels particuliers  (Ordinance on food intended for persons with special 
dietary needs) (82 pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les denrées alimentaires d'origine végétale, les champignons et le 
sel comestible (Ordinance on food of plant origin, mushrooms and edible salt) (79 
pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les denrées alimentaires d'origine animale  (Ordinance on food of 
animal origin) (53 pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les boissons  (Ordinance on beverages) (95 pages) 
 Ordonnance sur la qualité des eaux destinées à la consommation humaine ou à 
entrer en contact avec le corps humain  (Ordinance on the quality of water intended 
for human consumption or to come into contact with the human body) (26 pages)  G/TBT/N/CHE/203 
- 2 - 
  6. Description of content:  
 The relevant ordinances have been restructured (merging of several ordinances and 
separation of individual ordinances into multiple parts with each one constituting a 
new ordinance) in order to align them as closely as possible with the structure of European legislation. 
 The use of certain plants as food supplements has been prohibited in order to 
increase protection of human health. 
 It has been proposed that certain species of insect be authorized for the first time as 
food, if risk assessments show that no threat is posed to human health. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  
 Protection of consumer health and protection of consumers against deception 
 Harmonization with the legislation of the main economic partner (the European 
Union) 
8. Relevant documents: The draft technical regulation can be downloaded from the 
complete draft revision of the legislation on food and basic commodities, which is available 
at: 
http://www.blv.admin.ch/dokumentation /01013/05845/05846/inde x.html?lang=fr 
9. Proposed date of adoption: Mid-2016 
Proposed date of entry into force: Mid-2016  
10. Final date for comments: 30 November 2015 
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresse s, if available, of other body:  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3449_00_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3449_01_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3449_02_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3449_03_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3449_04_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3449_05_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachme nts/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3449_06_f.pdf