Still no skin for national sausage
Switzerland's iconic sausage, the cervelat, remains endangered. The warning came from the group charged with finding a replacement for one of its main ingredients.
An industry-led task force says it expects the current supply of casings – traditionally fashioned from the intestines of Brazilian bovines – to meet only 70 per cent of demand. It has predicted a shortfall by next summer.
The task force called on Monday for a new risk assessment of Brazilian casings, which have been banned by the European Union due to fears of mad cow disease.
It said it would continue working with the government on a solution.
Imports from Paraguay will in large part act as a substitute, the group said, but will still not cover expected demand. Inferior casings from Uruguay and Argentina have been considered and could possibly cover the shortfall.
The fate of the cervelat is no small affair for meat specialists: the Swiss eat 160 million of these sausages every year – accounting for some 30 per cent of the domestic sausage output.
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