ESG reporting: little has been achieved apart from expenses
Media

ESG reporting: little has been achieved apart from expenses

The ESG criteria (Environmental, Social, Governance) are intended to guide companies towards sustainable action and transparency. Companies have to invest considerable resources in complying with regulations and preparing reports. The workload is constantly increasing. For many companies, these requirements are an enormous bureaucratic burden – with little or no benefit for actual sustainability.

Tradition and innovation go hand in hand when it comes to food
Knowledge

Tradition and innovation go hand in hand when it comes to food

The study ‘Decoding Food Culture’ by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute shows how deeply food culture shapes our lives. That is why it is a balancing act between tradition and innovation to bring about changes in nutrition.

Cool thanks to Caribbean genes: the heat-defying calf!
Research

Cool thanks to Caribbean genes: the heat-defying calf!

Cows are also suffering from global warming. Hot temperatures have a negative effect on their metabolism. Now, the first solutions are emerging: for example, Strickhof in Lindau is home to one of the first Slick gene cows in the world. These are more heat tolerant than conventional cows and can therefore withstand global warming.

Agriculture needs a shared vision

Dr. Christian Stockmar

Dr. Christian Stockmar

Chairman of the Austrian Crop Protection Association

'Pure hubris'

Patrick Dümmler

Patrick Dümmler

Head of Sustainability and Economic Policy at the Swiss Trade Association

We are bringing up the rear in Europe when it comes to plant protection

David Brugger

David Brugger

Head of Plant Production, Swiss Farmers’ Union

The orange elephants in the room

Jürg Vollmer

Jürg Vollmer

Agricultural journalist

«Plant breeding calls for liberal rules»

Jürg Niklaus

Jürg Niklaus

Jürg Niklaus has a doctorate in law and is an advocate of plant breeding.

More pesticides, more genetic engineering: How we are overcoming hunger.

Markus Somm

Markus Somm

Journalist, publicist, publisher and historian

«What plant breeding brings us»

Achim Walter

Achim Walter

Professor of Crop Science, ETH Zurich

Content in German

Agriculture needs a shared vision

Dr. Christian Stockmar

Dr. Christian Stockmar

Chairman of the Austrian Crop Protection Association

'Pure hubris'

Patrick Dümmler

Patrick Dümmler

Head of Sustainability and Economic Policy at the Swiss Trade Association

We are bringing up the rear in Europe when it comes to plant protection

David Brugger

David Brugger

Head of Plant Production, Swiss Farmers’ Union

The orange elephants in the room

Jürg Vollmer

Jürg Vollmer

Agricultural journalist

«Plant breeding calls for liberal rules»

Jürg Niklaus

Jürg Niklaus

Jürg Niklaus has a doctorate in law and is an advocate of plant breeding.

More pesticides, more genetic engineering: How we are overcoming hunger.

Markus Somm

Markus Somm

Journalist, publicist, publisher and historian

«What plant breeding brings us»

Achim Walter

Achim Walter

Professor of Crop Science, ETH Zurich

Content in German

More opinion pieces

Myths & Facts

swiss-food stands for fact-based information. Important facts are explained here in an understandable way.

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From the media

Genetic engineering in agriculture – where is Rösti's openness to technology?
Media

Genetic engineering in agriculture – where is Rösti's openness to technology?

Genetic engineering in agriculture – where is Rösti's openness to technology?

ESG reporting: little has been achieved apart from expenses
Media

ESG reporting: little has been achieved apart from expenses

The ESG criteria (Environmental, Social, Governance) are intended to guide companies towards sustainable action and transparency. Companies have to invest considerable resources in complying with regulations and preparing reports. The workload is constantly increasing. For many companies, these requirements are an enormous bureaucratic burden – with little or no benefit for actual sustainability.

Promoting healthy eating and preventing regional cultivation
Media

Promoting healthy eating and preventing regional cultivation

There is a contradiction between nutritional recommendations and agricultural policy: the federal government wants us to eat more fruit, vegetables and plant-based proteins. At the same time, however, it is making it impossible for farmers to protect their crops.

This insect poses an existential threat to German farmers
Media

This insect poses an existential threat to German farmers

The reed-green leafhopper is spreading rapidly and threatening potatoes, sugar beet and other crops. Its bacterial pathogens are causing massive crop losses, especially in Germany. Agricultural associations are now calling for urgent measures – including emergency authorisations for effective crop protection products.

More contributions from Media

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Knowledge

Tradition and innovation go hand in hand when it comes to food
Knowledge

Tradition and innovation go hand in hand when it comes to food

The study ‘Decoding Food Culture’ by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute shows how deeply food culture shapes our lives. That is why it is a balancing act between tradition and innovation to bring about changes in nutrition.

The underestimated danger of plant toxins
Knowledge

The underestimated danger of plant toxins

Plants produce a variety of chemical substances to protect themselves against predators and diseases, for example. These substances can have a toxic effect in high doses. A recent study by Agroscope highlights the danger of natural substances in Swiss waters.

Natural is naturally dangerous – Why the plant's own poisons are underestimated
Knowledge

Natural is naturally dangerous – Why the plant's own poisons are underestimated

Many believe that natural foods are safer than those with synthetic pesticides. But plants produce their own poisons – and these are often just as risky. While artificial residues are regulated, natural defences are largely ignored. A fallacy, as scientist Bruce Ames shows.

Confidence in breakthrough technologies
Knowledge

Confidence in breakthrough technologies

A global survey of 13,000 people in 13 countries shows that people are fundamentally positive about new technologies. The study also reveals a clear correlation between knowledge and attitude: the more people know about a technology, the more positively they view it.

More contributions from Knowledge
Green biotech: safety concerns no longer hold water
New Breeding Technologies

Green biotech: safety concerns no longer hold water

At the end of October, swiss-food.ch hosted a film screening and panel discussion in Zurich on the subject of genome editing entitled “Between Protest and Potential”. The well-attended event dealt with the emotional debates in recent decades surrounding genetic engineering. The event showed that the situation has changed fundamentally.

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Audio & Video

swiss-food has a large selection of exciting videos and podcasts on the topics of food, agriculture and research.

To the podcasts and videos

Politics

Differing perceptions
Politics

Differing perceptions

While the increasing administrative burden is perceived as the main concern in the economy, parts of the population see it differently. Meanwhile, regulations are repeatedly misused as a means of exerting power in the competitive struggle – to the detriment of SMEs.

Domestic production as a blind spot
Politics

Domestic production as a blind spot

Switzerland's food security is increasingly under pressure: last year's disastrous wheat and potato harvests have led to an increasing dependence on imports. However, the report by the Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) is largely silent on the precarious state of the domestic agricultural sector. The IG BauernUnternehmen (Farmers' Company) has therefore sharply criticised the federal government.

PFAS regulation in Switzerland: Not faster, but better
Politics

PFAS regulation in Switzerland: Not faster, but better

Some people also call PFAS ‘forever chemicals’. Their use must be regulated as wisely as possible. To do this, the federal government first needs to do precise groundwork, according to Stefan Brupbacher, Urs Furrer and Stephan Mumenthaler.

gfs survey confirms high acceptance of genome editing
Politics

gfs survey confirms high acceptance of genome editing

A large majority of the Swiss population recognises the advantages of targeted plant breeding using genome editing. This is shown by a survey conducted by gfs.bern.

More contributions from Politics

Blindspot

Blindspot articles are marked with a small spotlight and illuminate the «blind spots» in the agricultural policy debate.

To the Blindspot articles

Research

Cool thanks to Caribbean genes: the heat-defying calf!
Research

Cool thanks to Caribbean genes: the heat-defying calf!

Cows are also suffering from global warming. Hot temperatures have a negative effect on their metabolism. Now, the first solutions are emerging: for example, Strickhof in Lindau is home to one of the first Slick gene cows in the world. These are more heat tolerant than conventional cows and can therefore withstand global warming.

Rapid further development of the genetic scissors
Research

Rapid further development of the genetic scissors

CRISPR-Cas has been used worldwide since 2012 to modify genes in organisms with pinpoint accuracy. With the help of protein engineering and AI algorithms, researchers at the University of Zurich have now developed a new, more compact ‘genetic scissors’. This and similar variants will make it possible to edit genes ever more efficiently.

Using Crispr to combat climate change
Media Research

Using Crispr to combat climate change

In the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna talks about the opportunities and risks of gene scissors. The tool can be used to specifically treat hereditary diseases, breed drought-tolerant plants and reduce greenhouse gas emis-sions from cows.

Anxious sweat as a cry for help
Media Research

Anxious sweat as a cry for help

Plants live dangerously. They are surrounded by predators. But they are not completely at their mercy. Decades of research have shown this. For example, plants emit odours when attacked. This realisation could lead to new strategies for plant protection. However, it is still uncertain whether this will ever lead to a widely used product.

More contributions from Research

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