Stefan Meierhans released a report on Friday complaining that supermarkets are failing to cooperate with his investigation.
Meierhans suspects that some retailers are ramping up the cost of organic foods to unacceptable levels of up to 30%. The price watchdog chief wants this reduced to a maximum of 20%.
But his report also includes complaints that at least one retailer is trying to undermine his probe by withholding data.
The Swiss media have pointed the finger at Switzerland’s largest retail group, Migros, which denies it charges excessively high prices for organic products.
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Another large retailer, Coop, told Swiss public broadcaster SRF that market competition is too fierce to allow excessive mark-ups.
But Meierhans is unimpressed by these statements. By comparing mark-ups in the Netherlands, his report concludes that competition is too weak in Switzerland.
The report suggests new Swiss regulations, similar to those adopted by New Zealand, to prevent retailers from excessively marking up the prices of organic foods.
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Voters reject pesticide-free farming proposals
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Over 60% of Swiss voters have thrown out a pair of initiatives aiming to ban the use of synthetic pesticides in the country.
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Organic food continues to attract Swiss consumers, who spent CHF360 per person on such produce in 2018, up from CHF320 the previous year.
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Organic farming is widely touted as a green and sustainable solution. The experiences of Sri Lanka and Switzerland show the reality is complicated.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.