Regional products are in vogue. And not just since yesterday. Nevertheless, the results of a study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration (HWZ) have raised eyebrows. The study concludes that regional products are more in demand than ever and are even perceived as more sustainable than organic or premium products.

A look at the representative study with almost 1,400 participants confirms this: Regionality is on the rise. In 2022, regional products generated sales of no less than 2,416 million Swiss francs at end consumer level. This corresponds to a market share of 8.2 per cent of total Swiss food sales. The study also shows that sales of regional products will increase by an average of nine per cent between 2015 and 2022.


Why regional products are seen as socially responsible

But how is it that regional products are experiencing such an upswing? According to Dr Stephan Feige, co-author and Head of Authentic Brand Management at the HWZ, consumers not only value regional products because of their origin, but also see them as «social products».

For example, 83 per cent of those surveyed in the study expect a high level of animal welfare to be guaranteed for regional products. 35 per cent of the study participants also expect above-average raw material prices for farmers. This contrasts with the repeated complaints from farmers in Switzerland that they receive little of the final retail price of their products. This has also been emphasised by the farmer protests that have broken out across Europe, in which farmers have taken to the barricades over excessive ecological requirements, EU regulations and cuts in subsidies, among other things. In Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Belgium, there were blockades and demonstrations, some of them nationwide. While the demands vary slightly from country to country, the tenor is the same everywhere: the prices paid for their products by food processors and retailers should be fair. In other words, pricing should be based on actual costs.


«Localwashing» increasingly poses a threat

The study also comes to the conclusion that so-called «localwashing», in which regional products are falsely advertised as local, could pose a threat. It has been proven that the willingness to pay for regional products is significantly higher compared to local products.

It is therefore all the more important that farmers in this country have the latest tools at their disposal to produce the products favoured by consumers. Among other things, new breeding methods such as genetic scissors for rapeseed could provide a remedy and pave the way for long-term sustainable agriculture.

Thanks to genome editing, press residues from rapeseed could also be processed into animal feed in the future. This would promotedomestic rapeseed and curb soya imports from abroad. Consumers and farmers would benefit from the advantages, as various examples show. Organic farmers also see advantages for themselves.

However, new breeding methods alone cannot guarantee regionality, as there is no such thing as a plant that is resistant to everything and everything. In addition, new pests and diseases are constantly spreading. Just as medicines are and will always be our constant companions, pesticides are also indispensable. They are becoming ever more precise in their effect and application. But in Switzerland, they remain stuck in the authorisation loop. However, this jeopardises regional production - and is diametrically opposed to what consumers want.