On 22 December 2023, the Swiss Federal Department of the Interior (DFI) issued Circular No. 817.024.1 amending the “Processed Foods Ordinance”, with effect from 1 February 2024. The main elements are as follows:

(1) Packaged food shall be assessed as to whether the food is harmless to health and fit for human consumption, within its shelf-life, and traceability shall be ensured;

(2) A food business that produces dry infant formula or food for special medical purposes for infants under 6 months of age, where there may be a risk of Clonobacterium spp. present in the food, shall inspect processing areas and equipment for Clonobacterium spp. as part of its sampling programme. Cronobacter spp. shall not be detected/10g;

(3) Until 31 January 2025, food may still be imported, produced and labelled under previous legislation and sold to consumers.