[imagesource:Flickr]

Toblerone chocolates have been forced to drop the famous Matterhorn mountain logo from its packaging as production of the chocolate is moved overseas by its US owners Mondelez. Under the 2017 Swissness Act, companies may not use the Swiss cross, or national symbols if they do not meet strict criteria to ensure their ‘Swissness’. Instead, the company has indicated that it will use the ‘established in’ moniker from now on.

The act requires food products claiming to be “Swiss-made” to be produced with 80% of their raw materials sourced from Switzerland, increasing to 100% for milk and dairy products.

The US chocolate maker, Mondelez, has moved their production of the famous triangle-shaped choccies to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, which means it can at best claim to be ‘Slovakian made’. Doesn’t really sound quite as exotic though.

Mondelez’s new packaging will include “a distinctive new Toblerone typeface and logo”, but will retain the signature of Theodor Tobler, the chocolatier who created the sweet in 1902. The product’s name is a combination of Tobler’s name with the Italian word torrone (a type of nougat).

Now before you think the Swiss are being clicky about the whole Swissness claim, consider for a moment that several studies have shown that the ‘Swiss Made’ claim can actually represent 20% of the sale price of certain products and as much as 50% for luxury items. It makes sense if you think about it. Would you prefer a Swiss-made Rolex, or an Uruguay-made timepiece?

Toblerone’s new design will feature a “modernized and streamlined” logo instead of the Matterhorn’s jagged outline.

According to his children, the triangular shape of the chocolates was inspired by a pyramid shape that dancers at a music hall created during a show that Tobler saw.

The company has however confirmed that they will still use the famous ‘bear’ hidden in the Matterhorn on its logo, which represents the capital city of Switzerland, Bern.

[source:cnn & wiki]