SWITZERLAND

DNA origin check has achieved its goals and is discontinued by Proviande

Since 2018, Proviande's DNA origin check has guaranteed the complete traceability of Swiss beef and veal from the store shelf to the individual animal.

Posted on Jul 18 ,00:10

Due to the excellent consistency of the results with the declaration listed on the meat products, Proviande will discontinue the DNA origin check at the end of 2025.

The DNA Origin Check was introduced in 2018 as an initiative of the meat industry and a quality assurance program funded by the industry. It uses genetic analysis to prove that veal and beef products bearing the "Swiss Origin" designation truly come from animals raised and slaughtered in Switzerland. Since then, up to 525,000 reference samples have been taken annually from all relevant slaughterhouses and processing plants in Switzerland – this recently corresponded to around 88% of all cattle slaughtered in Switzerland. In parallel, thousands of products from retailers, butcher shops, and restaurants were sampled annually. DNA profiles were created from all of these samples, thus confirming the product declaration.

Consumer protection remains guaranteed

Due to these consistently good results and the fact that no fraudulent origin claims have been detected over the years, Proviande is discontinuing the DNA origin check. The objectives set by the DNA origin check are still guaranteed with the meat industry's existing traceability and quality assurance tools.

Blaise Perrey, Head of Services at Proviande: "With the DNA origin check, we set a standard that was unique internationally. The consistently high match rates over the years speak for a very responsible industry. Our thanks go to all partners along the value chain who supported and implemented this system. The jointly achieved result is proof of the Swiss meat industry's constant commitment to transparency, quality, and credibility".

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