Toblerone Is Barred From Using The Iconic Swiss Mountain On Its Logo

(Bloomberg) -- The image of the Matterhorn mountain peak will soon disappear from the packaging of Toblerone chocolate bars because the brand’s US owner is moving some production outside of Switzerland.

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. 

Mondelez disclosed last year that it planned to move some Toblerone production to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. The company is changing the packaging design to depict a more generic mountain rather than the famous Matterhorn, the newspaper reported.

“The packaging redesign introduces a modernized and streamlined mountain logo that aligns with the geometric and triangular aesthetic,” a Mondelez spokesperson told Aargauer Zeitung. Toblerone packaging will now read “established in Switzerland,” rather than “of Switzerland.”

Under Switzerland’s Swissness Act, passed in 2017, national symbols and Swiss crosses are not permitted on the packaging of products that don’t meet Swissness criteria.

The act stipulates that foodstuffs using Swiss national symbols or claiming to be “Swiss made” must have at least 80% of the product’s raw materials come from Switzerland and 100% for milk and dairy products. 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. 

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