Food in Switzerland: 30 billion turnover

According to the Federal Office of Agriculture, compared to 2019, the turnover of the trade in food and beverages recorded an increase of 11 percent

In 2020, the food retail trade in Switzerland achieved a record turnover of almost CHF 30 billion, marking an increase of more than 11 percent compared to 2019.
Retail is the main sales channel for Swiss agriculture.

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Last year the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture carried out a thorough analysis on the basis of which it compiled for the first time a detailed overview of food expenditure in stores, excluding online purchases.

7,680 francs per household on food and drink

On average, a Swiss household spent 7,680 francs on food and drink, of which one in ten was on organic products.
The figures are based on figures from the market research company Nielsen Switzerland and the Federal Statistical Office.

Umfassender Bericht über Lebensmittelausgaben im Schweizer Detailhandel (German)
Rapport complet sur les dépenses alimentaires dans le commerce de détail suisse (French)
Rapporto completo sulla spese per derrate alimentari nel commercio al dettaglio svizzero (Italian)

In detail, the analysis shows the turnover achieved by retailers with foodstuffs that have a close connection with Swiss agriculture.

Products of animal origin account for 35.6 percent.

These include, for example, the commodity groups meat, milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables. With a turnover of 10.6 billion francs, the share of animal products in the total turnover of the food retail trade stood at 35.6 percent.
With a turnover of 4.1 billion francs, fruit, vegetables and potatoes achieved a share of 13.7 percent.

One franc in ten is “organic”: eggs in first place

The data also show that an average private household in 2020 spent CHF 820 on organic food in the Swiss retail trade.
Thus more than one franc in ten was spent in this sector. Organic eggs were particularly popular.

Budget doubled for fish in French-speaking Switzerland

In 2020, households in Western Switzerland spent 4.0 percent of their budget on fish compared to 2.1 percent in German-speaking Switzerland.

Begleittabelle (German)
Tableau d’accompagnement (French)
Tabella accompagnatoria (italian)

Households in urban areas purchased less meat and milk than those in rural regions.
Finally, households with children had higher expenditures on meat, while those without proportionally spent more on vegetables and alcohol.