Swiss biscuits: a slump in exports

Overall, export turnover has shrunk by 37% since 2010. Meanwhile, the import share has grown, rising to more than 50% for the first time in the case of biscuits. In 2019, the volume of sales by Swiss industrial manufacturers of long-life baked goods totalled 42,623 tonnes (- 1.0%). Overall sales revenues decreased by 0.8% to CHF 444.2 m.

In the export sector, sales volumes and revenues fell sharply between 2010 and 2019 (each - 37%). In 2019, 7.4% fewer long-life bakery products (total: 10,486 t) were exported than in the previous year. Revenues decreased by 6.7% to CHF 92.2 m. The export share dropped to 24.6%. In 2019, Swiss biscuits were exported to destinations in 70 countries. This compares to 85 the previous year. Once again, Germany led the way, with an export share of 37.9%, followed by France, Saudi Arabia and China.

In 2019, earnings from domestic business were slightly higher in terms of both sales and volume than in the previous year. Whereas the sales volume rose by 1.3% to 32,137 tonnes, turnover increased by 0.9% to CHF 351.9 m. Imports of the biscuits product group (i.e. standard biscuits and speciality baked goods, including waffles and gingerbread-like biscuits) totalled 22,502 tonnes, almost the same volume as domestic sales of comparable goods produced in Switzerland (22,424 t).

The share of imported products increased to 50.1% (+ 1%). Most of these came from Germany. Other important countries of origin were Italy, The Netherlands and Belgium. As a result of the increase in imports, total domestic sales of biscuits also increased. Taking both domestic and imported goods into account, the per-capita consumption of biscuits was 5.24 kg (+ 80 g).