Switzerland Publishes Its 2025 Recall and Alert Report: 97 Recalls and 33 Warnings, with Allergens, Listeria and Salmonella as Main Causes

Switzerland's Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV) published on October 14, 2026 its 2025 annual report on public warnings, recalls and the European RASFF rapid alert system. According to the document, in 2025 the agency disseminated a total of 97 recalls and 33 public warnings concerning food and everyday objects, and the number of both types of notice has risen slightly in recent years, with fluctuations.

For food, the BLV published 66 recalls and 25 public warnings. The main cause was undeclared allergens, with 20 cases, mainly hazelnut (5), milk (5) and soy (4). The second reason was contamination with pathogenic microorganisms, with 19 cases: Listeria in 8, Salmonella in 7 and Escherichia coli in 3. The most affected product categories were herbs and spices (20), cereals and their derivatives (13), and milk and dairy products (11). For everyday objects and cosmetics there were 31 recalls and 8 warnings, with a predominance of choking and asphyxiation risks, mainly in toys and children's articles.

The report also explains how the system works: when a Swiss establishment distributes an unsafe product, it must withdraw it immediately and notify the cantonal authority, which informs the BLV. If the health risk warrants it, the BLV decides together with the canton whether to issue a public warning through a press release. Switzerland participates only partially in RASFF, so it exchanges notifications with European Union Member States when a product is imported or exported. In 2025 the EU as a whole recorded 5,202 notifications, a level similar to previous years, while the cases notified by Switzerland, and those in which it was involved, rose slightly again.

For manufacturers and laboratories, the figures confirm that pathogens and allergens remain the two major reasons for recalls, and that spices, cereals and dairy products are categories where sampling and supplier verification should be reinforced. Rapid detection of Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli in product and on surfaces makes it possible to decide in time whether a lot can go to market, which is key when a single finding can become a public recall and an international notification.