Yesterday, the Swiss Vegan Society presented the Swiss Vegan Awards for the 8th time, honoring companies, products, and people whose innovations and offers have made a significant contribution to the further development of the vegan sector in Switzerland.
A country steeped in traditional culinary values and intertwined with dairy heritage, Switzerland has seen recent moves from food producers, activists, retailers, and policymakers to update these traditions in a more planet-friendly and ethical direction.
Paving the way in Switzerland for an ethical future
Campaign group Animal Rights Switzerland recently initiated a project outlining how the country could become animal-friendly, describing how meat and dairy products could, in place of conventional methods that involve cruelty and killing of animals, be produced through fermentation and cultivated technologies.
In terms of the latter, this may in fact become a reality in the country, since Aleph Farms famously registered its application for regulatory approval in Switzerland, representing the first of its kind in the entire continent.
Swiss Vegan Awards 2023 winners at a glance:
Best salty product: La Raclette Vegan – Nature by New Roots
Best sweet product: Petit Coeur organic & vegan by Kambly
Gastro business of the year: Roots
Award for pioneering achievements: planted
Newcomer of the year: Häppli Züri
Influencer of the year: Doris Flury from @mrsflury
Given the recent presentation of the new climate strategy for agriculture and nutrition in Switzerland, the role of vegan alternatives becomes even clearer. The climate strategy highlights the importance of plant-based nutrition for sustainable and climate-friendly agriculture. In this regard, purely vegan start-ups and companies in Switzerland have taken a pioneering role and paved the way for others.
Sarah Moser, Managing Director of the Swiss Vegan Society, comments: “The federal government’s findings on the role of plant-based nutrition in the context of the climate are a step in the right direction. With events like the Swiss Vegan Awards, we want to show that a vegan lifestyle is not only ethically and ecologically sensible, but also easy and enjoyable thanks to the variety of products available. It is truly inspiring to see how both the acceptance and diversity of vegan offerings have developed since the launch of the Swiss Vegan Awards in 2016.”
More information about the Swiss Vegan Awards and its winners can be found at www.vegan.ch/projects/swissveganawards.
