Compliant Always
Get in touch

Selling soft drinks and other beverages in Switzerland

In Switzerland, beverages follow general food law plus the FDHA Ordinance on Beverages, which defines soft drinks, natural mineral water and caffeinated drinks and adds labelling for each. Labels follow the FDHA Ordinance on Food Information (LIV). The Beverage Container Ordinance sets deposits, take-back and a disposal fee for glass.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Specific rules
FDHA Ordinance on Beverages, SR 817.022.12
Soft drinks
No more than 0.5% alcohol by volume
Caffeine
No more than 160 mg per daily ration
Over 150 mg/l caffeine
High-caffeine statement; may be called «Energy Drink»
Containers
Beverage Container Ordinance: deposits, take-back, glass fee
Who enforces
Cantonal enforcement authorities

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Which category is the drink: soft drink, mineral water, caffeinated drink or another? Read more
  2. 2If it is natural mineral water, are the source and composition documented and on the label? Read more
  3. 3How much caffeine does it contain, and what must the label then say? Read more
  4. 4Does the label carry the LIV particulars, in an official language? Read more
  5. 5What container is it in, and does a deposit or take-back duty apply? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Soft drinks and categories

How the FDHA Ordinance on Beverages sorts drinks.

  • Soft drinks (alkoholfreie Getränke) may contain no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, as ready to drink (Article 2).
  • Carbon dioxide may be added, except to spirits (Article 2).
  • Products with more than 2 g of carbon dioxide per litre carry a statement such as «kohlensäurehaltig» (carbonated) near the name; natural mineral water, spring water and alcoholic drinks are excepted (Article 3).
  • A drink with more than 0.5% alcohol by volume is an alcoholic beverage and falls under the alcohol rules (Article 61).

How we help: Compliant Always reads your specifications against the category definitions and shows which label statements follow from them. Ask about this

Natural mineral water

What mineral water must be, and what its label adds.

  • Natural mineral water comes from an underground source and is characterised by geological, physico-chemical and microbiological examination; the results go to the cantonal enforcement authority with the documents in Annex 1 (Articles 5 and 6).
  • It may not be treated or have anything added, apart from listed processes such as decanting, filtering and removing or adding carbon dioxide; disinfection is prohibited (Article 8).
  • The name is «natürliches Mineralwasser» (natural mineral water), with set wording for carbonated water and optional descriptors such as low mineral content at no more than 500 mg/l (Article 9).
  • The label gives the place of the spring and the name of the source; where a brand name is used, the source name or place appears in letters at least one and a half times as high and wide (Article 10).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the source analysis and cantonal documents with the product, and reads the label against the naming rules. Ask about this

Caffeinated and energy drinks

Caffeine limits and the statements that go with them.

  • Caffeine may not exceed 160 mg per daily ration, which is the ration on the label or, if none is given, 500 g of drink or 100 g of energy shot (Article 38).
  • Drinks with more than 30 mg/l and up to 150 mg/l of caffeine carry at least «coffeinhaltig» (contains caffeine), unless they are coffee or tea drinks named as such (Article 39).
  • Drinks with more than 150 mg/l carry the LIV high-caffeine statement and further information, and may be named «Energy Drink», or «Energy Shot» in portions under 100 ml (Article 39).

How we help: Compliant Always reads your caffeine figures from the specification and lab report against these thresholds and shows which statements the label needs. Ask about this

Food labelling

The general food particulars that drinks also carry.

  • Prepacked drinks carry the LIV particulars, including name, ingredients, allergens, durability date, country of production and the person responsible (LIV Article 3).
  • The particulars are in at least one official language of the Confederation (LGV Article 36).
  • Water for human consumption, including water with only carbon dioxide or flavourings added, is exempt from the nutrition declaration unless it carries a claim or is fortified (LIV Article 21 and Annex 9).
  • Food business notification, self-supervision and recall duties apply as for other food (LGV Articles 20, 74 and 84).

How we help: Compliant Always reads your label artwork against the LIV particulars and shows what is missing. Ask about this

Beverage containers

Deposits, take-back and the disposal fee for glass.

  • The Beverage Container Ordinance applies to containers of beverages, except milk and milk products (Article 1).
  • Refillable containers are marked as such, and the deposit amount is shown on deposit-bearing containers (Article 4).
  • Drinks supplied in refillable containers or non-refillable PVC containers carry a deposit of at least CHF 0.30 (Articles 5 and 6).
  • Sellers of drinks in non-refillable PET or metal containers who do not fund disposal through a private organisation take them back at their points of sale (Article 7).
  • Manufacturers and importers of glass beverage containers pay a prepaid disposal fee of CHF 0.01 to 0.10 per container to the organisation appointed by the FOEN (Articles 9 and 10).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps packaging specifications and disposal-fee records with each product. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
BrandThe drink sold under its name, its category, label and claims.Specifications and label read against the ordinance in one place.
BottlerMaking the drink, and for mineral water the source documents filed with the canton.Analyses and source documents kept with each product.
ImporterDrinks brought into Switzerland, the glass disposal fee and labels in an official language.Suppliers' documents read and dated before the goods arrive.
RetailerDeposits and take-back at the point of sale.Questionnaires answered from the product record.

Cantons

Federal acts and ordinances set the rules. Inside Switzerland the cantons enforce food and utility-article law, each through a cantonal chemist who heads the cantonal enforcement authority; the Confederation enforces at import, export and transit (Foodstuffs Act, Articles 38, 47 and 49).

Labels must be in at least one official language: German, French or Italian. Some rules ask for the language of the place of sale, which differs between cantons.

Questions businesses ask

What counts as a soft drink in Switzerland?
A drink with no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, as ready to drink (FDHA Ordinance on Beverages, Article 2). Above that it is an alcoholic beverage.
When must a label say 'carbonated'?
When the product contains more than 2 g of carbon dioxide per litre, with a statement such as «kohlensäurehaltig» near the name. Natural mineral water, spring water and alcoholic drinks are excepted (Article 3).
How much caffeine may a drink contain?
No more than 160 mg per daily ration, which is the ration on the label or otherwise 500 g of drink or 100 g of energy shot (Article 38).
When can a drink be called an energy drink?
When it has more than 150 mg/l of caffeine. It then carries the LIV high-caffeine statement and further information (Article 39).
What does a mineral water label add?
The place of the spring and the name of the source, and the characteristic constituents in place of an ingredients list (Article 10).
Can mineral water be treated?
Only by listed processes, such as decanting, filtering and removing or adding carbon dioxide. Disinfection and anything that changes the germ count are prohibited (Article 8).
Does bottled water need a nutrition declaration?
Water for human consumption, including water with only carbon dioxide or flavourings added, is exempt unless it carries a nutrition or health claim or is fortified (LIV Article 21 and Annex 9).
Is there a deposit on drinks containers?
On refillable and non-refillable PVC containers, at least CHF 0.30 each. PET and metal containers carry a take-back duty unless disposal is funded through a private organisation (Beverage Container Ordinance, Articles 5 to 7).
Who pays the disposal fee on glass bottles?
Manufacturers supplying empty glass beverage containers and importers of empty or filled ones, between CHF 0.01 and 0.10 per container (Beverage Container Ordinance, Articles 9 and 10).
Which language must a drink label be in?
At least one official language of the Confederation: German, French or Italian (LGV Article 36).
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Switzerland?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Switzerland and what your paperwork needs to show.

Get in touch

No card, no account, and no call to book. Tell us what you make and where you sell it, and we will come back to you.

Get in touch