03.04.2026

We need eggs – and a smart strategy

Dear readers

Did you notice it before the Easter holidays? The shelves at many retailers are starkly empty where the breakfast eggs should have been. It’s not entirely unusual for supplies to run low in some places. But this year, bird flu in Europe has drastically reduced the supply, and the much-needed imports failed to materialize. Those who were too late had to settle for chocolate eggs.

This seemingly minor detail reveals a deeper-rooted problem. On average, Swiss men and women consume a whopping 198 eggs per year – and the trend is upward. Yet domestic production is running up against bureaucratic barriers: Anyone looking to build a new chicken coop today often has to wait three to six years for a permit. This serves as a prime example of how complex supply security is.

The vulnerability of our food supply extends far beyond the chicken coop. The conflict in the Middle East drives home just how quickly global supply chains can be disrupted. Normally, about one-third of the world’s shipped fertilizers pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, massive shortages loom. While the expected price increases for certain foods are still manageable here, hunger threatens in poorer countries.

Such disruptions force us to rethink our approach. Complete isolation is not an option, but terms like “nearshoring” are gaining significant traction. As the industry association scienceindustries outlines in a recent position paper, a modern security policy must necessarily include food security and the preservation of relevant industries within one’s own country.

In addition to research and development (R&D), it is essential that we maintain local production. After all, those who outsource manufacturing lose both in the long run. As the Luzerner Zeitung aptly notes in its commentary on the relaxation of the Swissness rules for sneakers: If you rely solely on R&D and relocate production, eventually the former will disappear as well. So, in Switzerland, we need not only know-how, but also “do-how.”

Switzerland does not pursue an active industrial policy. This makes it all the more important that the framework conditions are right. But the country’s business environment suffers from numerous “petty annoyances”: excessive environmental regulations, steadily rising payroll taxes, and excessive liability claims throughout the supply chain. All these factors tie up enormous amounts of time and resources within companies – a constant defensive struggle that is increasingly exhausting, while internal corporate competition is luring with more attractive locations.

Companies are acting in their entrepreneurial interests and relocating to other sites – and once something has been established elsewhere, it doesn’t come back. The moratorium on genetic engineering serves as a cautionary example of how this shift in business activity ultimately weakens local public research as well. A world champion in innovation that can no longer produce locally will, sooner or later, also lose its research activities, since especially during the market launch phase, close interaction and proximity between development and production are essential.

Those who want to ensure comprehensive security for their population must not stifle the producing industry with ever-new regulations, but must actively improve the conditions for doing business. After all, it all comes full circle: True security of supply requires smart international strategies, but often fails at the local level – for example, precisely when a farmer has to wait years for a permit for his new chicken coop.

Despite occasional gaps on the shelves, we wish you relaxing Easter holidays and, perhaps while enjoying your chocolate, a thought or two about why Switzerland became a nation of chocolate.

Your swiss-food editorial team