• Alnatura Produktions- & Handels GmbH leads the organic segment in Switzerland with a value share of 16.1% in 2023, followed by Alvanit GmbH with a value share of 4.8% and Orior AG with a share of 3.4%. 
• Switzerland ranks 17th globally in terms of market size, with a value of US$841.7 mn in 2023, despite its small population, which indicates that per capita demand for organic products in Switzerland is among the highest worldwide.

• Organic products in Switzerland represent roughly 1.4% of global demand and just under 3.8% of the market in Western Europe, recording a per capita expenditure of US$95.4 in 2023. 
• The Swiss market for organic products is projected to increase with a value CAGR of 1.5% for the forecast period 2023-2028 in 2023 constant prices with fixed USD exchange rates, reaching a value of US$906.9 mn by 2028.

• The Organic Packaged Food and Beverages category in Switzerland registered a value decline of 9.5% in 2023 in current prices to record a market size of US$841.7 million. 
• During the historic period of 2019-2023, the Organic Packaged Food category registered a CAGR of 5.2% in current prices, showing consistent growth each year except for 2023, when it experienced a significant setback. For the forecast period from 2023 to 2028, the projected CAGR is 1.5% in constant prices. 
• Similarly, Organic Beverages recorded a historic CAGR of 8.3% in current prices, with steady growth throughout the period except for a comparable setback in 2023. Over the forecast period, a constant CAGR of 1.5% is expected.
• Growth in Organic Packaged Food was primarily driven by Organic Staple Food, which recorded a 14.5% current CAGR during the historic period. However, growth is expected to decelerate significantly, with a projected constant CAGR of just 0.8% over the forecast period.
• Within Organic Beverages, Organic Hot Drinks led both historic and projected growth, with CAGRs of a current 17.1% and a constant 4.1%, respectively.

• Sales of Organic Foods saw extraordinary growth in 2021 and 2022 in both retail value and volume terms, driven by a growing focus on sustainability and greater interest in food origin and production. However, following this strong performance, 2023 saw a significant decline, particularly in Organic Staple Foods and Organic Dairy Products and Alternatives. This was largely due to economic pressures on Swiss households, as high inflation and rising living costs forced more cautious spending. With organic products priced higher, some consumers felt compelled to return to standard alternatives.
• In early 2022, Bio Suisse introduced stricter regulations for organic cow’s milk production in Switzerland. The permitted proportion of concentrated feed was reduced from 10% to 5%, and all cow feed must now be 100% Swiss Knospe. These changes establish a closed cycle for organic milk production in Switzerland, making the rules significantly stricter than those of the EU.

• Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH largely leads the Organic Packaged Food category with an 18.1% market share in 2023; however, it has lost 11.4 p.p. since 2019 as new competitors consolidate in the market. The company had benefited significantly from a partnership with Migros, Switzerland’s largest grocery retailer, operating 25 organic stores together. This partnership ended in 2025, and Alnatura has announced the closure of these stores. However, Alnatura products will continue to be offered through Migros traditional stores, which remain its largest distributor. 
• Orior AG maintained its leadership in Organic Beverages in 2023 with a 27.6% market share, driven by its Biotta brand, which offers 100% natural, organic vegetable and fruit juices. Founded in 1957, Biotta was a pioneer in the Organic Juice segment.

• Switzerland’s leading grocery retailers, Migros and Coop, have a strong foundation in organic food through their trusted private label brands, Migros Bio and Coop Naturaplan, respectively. With rising consumer interest in health and wellness, both are well positioned to expand their organic ranges. During the forecast period, they are expected to launch new products, particularly private label lines, to capture demand and respond to inflation-driven shifts in household spending.
• Across the forecast period, sales of Organic Cooking Ingredients and Meals are set to grow, with retail sales projected to rise at a 4.1% constant value CAGR to reach US$105.4 million in 2028. Across the forecast period, Organic Olive Oil will be the leading product in the Organic Cooking Ingredients and Meals landscape, reaching sales of US$38.6 million, supported by a forecast constant CAGR of 3.1%. Growth is being driven by research suggesting that daily consumption of olive oil may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Popular brands include Monini and Filippo Berio, while private label players such as Sobeys Inc have also entered the space with offerings such as the Compliments organic olive oil range.

• Interest in plant-based eating continues to rise in Switzerland, driven by growing adoption of vegan, vegetarian, and especially flexitarian diets. While the share of the population identifying strictly as vegan or vegetarian remains relatively low, it has increased notably since the pandemic. A much larger segment now identifies as flexitarian, which are consumers who consciously reduce their intake of animal products and regularly incorporate plant-based foods into their diets. According to a 2024 Coop survey, 58% of respondents reported following a flexitarian diet. This shift has fueled strong growth in meat and seafood substitutes, with plant-based products often carrying additional health and wellness claims such as high protein and high fiber.
• In an effort to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, a growing number of Swiss consumers are turning to specific diets, with keto among the more popular options. The ketogenic diet encourages a significant reduction in carbohydrate and sugar intake, while promoting high protein and fat consumption. As interest in this diet rises, it is likely to drive demand for low carb, high protein products across categories such as yogurt, meat, seafood, and even certain hot and soft drinks.

Economy: 

• Switzerland's economy is projected to have a 1.4% real GDP growth in 2024. Moderate growth is expected, driven by rising private consumption supported by increasing real wages. However, export growth is likely to lose momentum due to ongoing trade tensions and the impact of US tariffs.
• Real GDP growth is anticipated to remain stable, reaching 1.6% in 2026 and averaging 1.5% annually through 2028.
• Inflation closed 2024 at 1.1% and is expected to slow further to 0.3% in 2025, approaching deflation territory. This has raised concerns over price stability and prompted the Swiss National Bank to cut interest rates, with further interventions remaining a possibility.

Population demographics: 

• Switzerland's population reached 9.0 million in 2024 and is projected to remain stable across the forecast years. The country has remained below the replacement level fertility rate for several decades and currently sits at a stable 1.3 children per woman, making migration the primary driver of population growth.
• The median age in Switzerland was recorded at 43.2 years in 2024, an increase of 0.6 years from 2020.

Income & expenditure: 

• The savings ratio in Switzerland reached 12.0% of disposable income in 2024, continuing a steady downward trend since the pandemic, driven by decreasing interest rates.
• Consumer expenditure per capita grew by 1.1% in 2024 in current USD terms. In constant USDUS$, it is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 1.1% through 2028. Housing is forecast to be the largest consumer spending category in 2028, while health goods and medical services will record the fastest growth over 2023-2028.
• Disposable income per capita was US$57,951 in 2024, the largest one in Europe. It is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 1.2% through 2028, a similar level than the rest of Western Europe.

¹ Health and Wellness Definition: Health and wellness is the aggregation of organic packaged food and beverages, fortified/functional packaged food and beverages, naturally healthy packaged food and beverages, better for you packaged food and beverages and food intolerance products.

The above definition and more can be referenced from the definitions table at the end of the report.

² Economic and Demographic Data has been updated to reflect final 2024 estimates, therefore using 2024 as the base year for exchange rates and prices. 

³ Historic current prices and forecast constant 2024 prices.

Top 5 Cities By Population

Top 5 Grocery Retailers By Sales

Top 5 Export Commodities To Switzerland

Note : Total organics is the sum of all exports to a country within a year.

Authorized Government Agency(s):

Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG)

Agency(s) Contact Information:

Federal Office for Agriculture
Schwarzenburgstrasse 165
3003 Bern, Switzerland
Phone: + 41 (0)31 322 25 11
Fax: + 41 (0)31 322 26 34
Email: bio@blw.admin.ch
 

Name(s) of Regulation and/or Standard:

Switzerland has an Equivalency Agreement with the United States. 

Ordinance on Organic Farming and the Labeling of Organically Produced Plant Products and Foodstuffs
EAER Ordinance on Organic Farming

Date of Implementation: 1998

Regulation and/or Standard Scope:

The Ordinance applies to the labelling of the following products as organic products: a. unprocessed agricultural crop and livestock products and production animals; b. processed agricultural crop and livestock products intended for human consumption, prepared essentially from ingredients of plant and/or animal origin; c. feed materials, compound feedingstuffs and feedingstuffs not covered under letter a. and which are used for the feeding of production animals. It also applies to yeasts used for foodstuffs or animal feedingstuffs. The ordinance does not apply to hunting, fishing and aquaculture and its products.

The following do not require certification: a. the preparation of products of organic origin at the point of sale provided that no comparable conventionally-prepared products are prepared in the same production unit and the prepared products are delivered to the consumers solely at the point of sale; b. the preparation of foodstuffs and dishes in restaurant and catering facilities; c. the storage and marketing of products packaged ready for sale and labelled, which are intended solely for Switzerland, provided they do not undergo further preparation before delivery to consumers; d. the preparation of certified semi-finished products at the point of sale, provided that no further ingredients are required; e. the portioning of openly sold foodstuffs in front of the customer; f. the slaughtering of animals in slaughterhouses and abattoirs; g. internal trade with animals of the bovine species.

Switzerland and the United States have an equivalency agreement which allows organic products certified in the U.S. or Switzerland to be sold as organic in either country. Switzerland also has equivalency arrangements with Canada, Japan, Chile, and the United Kingdom.

Both Switzerland and the EU mutually recognize each other’s certification schemes. Imports from EU countries or countries on the third country list of the Swiss regulation must be accompanied by a certificate from an inspection body from the respective country. An individual import license is required for imports from other countries.

On January 1, 2018  Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) became applicable for imports to Switzerland (Art. 24 of the Ordinance on Organic Farming). From 1st of January 2019 onwards the E-COI became mandatory. Switzerland uses the same electronic system like the EU. However, the Swiss list of countries is not yet completely harmonized with the corresponding EU lists. Swiss companies have to register in TRACES. Importers and first consignees should address to their certification bodies for further information about the process. 

Certification:

A list of approved certifiers is available.

Accreditation:

After consultation with the Swiss Accreditation Service, the Federal Office shall approve certification bodies of other states wishing to practice on Swiss territory if these are able to prove they hold a qualification equivalent to that required in Switzerland. In particular certification bodies must produce evidence that : a. they are able to fulfill the requirements laid down in Article 28 (2); b. they are able to undertake the obligations laid down in Article 30; c. they are familiar with the relevant Swiss legislation.

 In a few cases, the FOAG approves certification bodies itself and lists them in Annex 2 of the FOAG Organic Ordinance (SR 910.184).

Reference Standards:

On the third country list of the European Union

Additional Information:

FiBL Country Reports
U.S. International Trade Administration

USDA’S GAIN Report Electronic Certificate of Inspection Required for EU Organics Trade (2017)