Toblerone to drop Matterhorn logo from packaging over ‘Swissness’ rules

The image of the Matterhorn mountain is to be removed from Toblerone packaging as some of the chocolate bar’s production moves outside Switzerland.

Toblerone’s pyramid-shaped pieces, which are studded with almond and honey nougat, are intended to resemble the Swiss peak that currently features on the bar’s packaging.

That image will now be replaced with a more generic alpine summit, the brand’s US owner, Mondelez, has reportedly said.

Since 1908, Toblerone has been produced in the Swiss capital, Berne, whose heraldic animal – a bear – is hidden within the image of the Matterhorn.

A spokesman told the Aargauer Zeitung newspaper: “The packaging redesign introduces a modernised and streamlined mountain logo that aligns with the geometric and triangular aesthetic.”

According to the report, Toblerone packaging will now read “Established in Switzerland” rather than “of Switzerland”.

In a further statement, Mondelez said: “To respond to increased demand worldwide and to grow our Toblerone brand for the future, we are continuing to invest in innovation across our Toblerone portfolio, marketing and production.

“As part of this, an evolved visual identity is being unveiled through updated packaging that includes a distinctive new Toblerone typeface and logo that draw further inspiration from the Toblerone archives and the inclusion of our founder, Tobler’s, signature.

“Berne is an important part of our history and will continue to be so for the future.”

Last year, Mondelez announced plans to move some Toblerone production to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, and a plant that produces Milka products, a brand of chocolate originally made in Switzerland.

The packaging decision is in line with Swiss legislation that protects items claiming to be from the country under the Swissness Act.

For foodstuffs to market themselves as “made in Switzerland”, 80% of the raw ingredients must be sourced from the country and the majority of processing take place there.

For milk and milk-based products, the required quota is 100%, with exceptions for ingredients that cannot be sourced from Switzerland, such as cocoa.

National symbols are not allowed to be used to promote milk-based products that fall short of these requirements.

The name Toblerone is said to be a mix of the surname of Theodor Tobler, the bar’s inventor, with torrone, a chewy almond nougat sweet popular in Spain and Italy.

In 2016, Mondelez faced uproar after it increased the gap between the peaks of its UK bars as part of cost-saving measures to reduce the weight of the bar from 170g to 150g.