Labels put to the test "Züri eggs" also come from Solothurn and Thurgau
Migros, Coop and Lidl sell food that is supposed to come from traditional family farms in the region. Random samples show: The Zurich region also includes Zug, Solothurn and Thurgau.
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- Eggs, vegetables and processed foods that Migros, Coop and Lidl sell as coming from the region have sometimes had a long journey: some come from the cantons of Solothurn, Thurgau and Graubünden.
- The fact that the products are made in traditional family businesses is also not always true. Goods from a large company are also sold under regional labels.
- Coop, Lidl and Migros sell products labeled as regional between 10 and 230 percent more expensive.
- In most cases, however, the producers receive the same price for their goods or only slightly more.
"Züri eggs" from Thurgau or Zug? You can get them at Coop. Vegetables "from traditional family businesses", which are among the largest producers in Switzerland, can be found at Migros.
The labels "From the region for the region" (Migros) and "Miini Region" (Coop) promise products from the surrounding area and from small businesses. In return, customers are expected to dig a little deeper into their pockets. Or even a lot lower.
A spot check by "Ktipp" shows: The labels do not always deliver what they promise.
Expensive "Züribieter eggs"
Coop's "Züri eggs" sometimes come from the cantons of Zug and Solothurn. The producers don't even know that their eggs are sold as regional by Coop in another canton. They hand them over to a middleman and receive the same price - regardless of the label under which they are sold.
Coop charges 5.95 francs, 65 centimes or 12 percent more, for six Züri-Bio eggs. Lidl adds 10 percent to the "Züribieter" IP eggs.
At least Migros pays the producers of regional eggs a little more. One of them tells "Ktipp" that he receives 0.7 centimes more per egg. This results in a surcharge of 20 centimes per egg in the store. According to Ktipp, ten "Züribieter eggs" cost 6.30 francs, compared to 4.30 francs without a regional label. An increase of 45 percent.
Zurich cheese and milk have traveled a long way
The surcharges are even higher for processed products. Coop sells white flour labeled "Stadtmühle Zürich" for 2.30 francs per kilogram. White flour from the cheap "Prix Garantie" line costs 1 franc per kilogram.
Both were milled from Swiss wheat at the Coop-owned mill in Zurich's Kreis 5 district. However, the wheat for the "Stadtmühle" flour actually comes from the Zurich region and incurs additional costs due to separate storage.
Migros sells Swiss cherry tomatoes for 79 centimes per 100 grams, but those with the "From the region for the region" label for 1.50 francs (+89 percent).
The region that is supposed to belong to Zurich is also generously proportioned. A cream cheese that is on sale at Coop in Zurich under "Miini Region" is a Grisons cream cheese that has been processed in Rüdtlingen BE. The Zurich region also includes the Entlebuch in the canton of Lucerne. The Napf mountain milk comes from the area of the same name on the border of the cantons of Bern and Lucerne, but is processed in Hergiswil in the canton of Nidwalden, as "Ktipp" found out.
Reasons for price increases
How do the major distributors justify their price mark-ups if the producers do not receive more for their goods? According to "Ktipp", Migros cites "certification regulations" and "expenses for specialties and smaller quantities". The regional tomatoes and strawberries are also of a different quality.
Apart from "Stadtmühle" flour, Coop does not give any reasons for the higher prices of regional products. Lidl argues that the lower quantities sold make "Züribieter" eggs more expensive.
One thing is clear, however: Customers are prepared to pay higher prices for regional products. According to the Swiss Regional Products Association, they spent CHF 1.8 billion on them in 2023. 13 percent more than in the previous year.