Toblerone to drop its iconic mountain logo; here's why
1 min read 06 Mar 2023, 11:35 AM ISTToblerone's Matterhorn jagged silhouette debuted on the packaging in 1970.
PremiumToblerone will remove its iconic Matterhorn mountain’s peak that appears its chocolate packaging. This comes as the brand’s US owner will be moving some production outside of Switzerland to Slovakia.
Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung reported that Mondelez International Inc., which produces the triangular treat, is changing the design of the mountain depicted on the cardboard wrapper so as not to violate the Swissness Act, as per Bloomberg report. As per the Switzerland’s Swissness Act which was passed in 2017, national symbols and Swiss crosses are not permitted on the packaging of products that don’t meet Swissness criteria.
It also states that the national symbols are not allowed to be used to promote milk-based products that are not made exclusively in the country, as reported by BBC. Apart from milk based products, the law states that for other raw foodstuffs, the threshold is at least 80 percent. Essential work to produce a Swiss made product must also take place in Switzerland. Exceptions are made for raw materials not found in Switzerland, such as cocoa.
The famous Swiss chocolate bar was first launched in 1908 by Theodor Tobler and has been exclusively produced in Switzerland since the early 1990s. It is made of honey and almond nougat. Matterhorn’s jagged silhouette debuted on the packaging in 1970, as per its website. Prior to this, the packaging had Bernese bear, the Swiss capital’s four-legged icon and eagle.
US firm Mondelez said told BBC that the Matterhorn mountain logo will now be replaced by a more generic summit. The Alpine peak bar will undergo a labelling revamp and include its founder's signature on it, makers said as quoted by BBC.
Another Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung also reported that the packaging will now state "established in Switzerland" rather than reading “of Switzerland."
