Swiss youngsters illegally obtain alcohol in a quarter of test purchases

Young people obtain alcohol illegally in a quarter of test purchases Keystone-SDA

In a quarter of all alcohol test purchases last year, young people in Switzerland were able to obtain beer, wine or spirits illegally.

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In the online sector, age is not checked at all in most cases. These rates have only been falling slowly for years.

In 2024, over 10,500 alcohol test purchases were carried out by the federal government, cantons, municipalities, institutions and private companies, including large retailers, as reported by the Swiss Addiction Foundation. In 25.2% of all alcohol test purchases in Swiss shops and restaurants, young people were sold alcohol illegally. In the previous year, the figure was 27.3%.

In 78.4% of cases, the sales or service staff asked for identification. The lowest rate of offences was recorded in petrol station shops with 19.7% of illegal sales and large retailers with around a quarter. Restaurants and cafés with 31.2%, events with 35.7% and bars with 43% of illegal sales fared worse.

In the vast majority of cases, alcohol is sold illegally to young people online, the report continued. In most cases, there was no age check either when the order was placed or upon delivery. Effective age verification mechanisms are needed here. This could be done by checking an ID card or a digital identity for age recognition.

The aim of alcohol test sales is to strengthen the protection of minors. Until 1 October 2024, only a few cantons had a legal basis that made it possible to sanction companies, so the rate of illegal sales has hardly fallen in recent years despite many awareness-raising test purchases, wrote Sucht Schweiz.

Now, however, it is permitted in all cantons to impose a fine on sales outlets in test purchases on behalf of the cantonal authorities in the event of illegal sales.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/mga

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