Switzerland: Cigarette ban has not affected the restaurant industry
July 16, 2020
Par: chef-projet@dnf.asso.fr
Dernière mise à jour: July 16, 2020
Temps de lecture: 3 minutes
The ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, introduced in Switzerland on May 1, 2010, may have caused concern among gastronomy professionals. However, the number of establishments and the sector's revenue show that this health measure has not discouraged consumers.
Protected health
The ban's primary aim is to protect public health. One year after its implementation, Switzerland actually recorded a 22% drop in heart attack cases. The health of bar and restaurant staff was also protected. It had been proven that these people inhaled as many pollutants in 15 minutes as if they had smoked 5 cigarettes. After May 1, 2010, the toxic load—recorded by badges—became 16 times lower.
Today, anti-smoking activists would like to go further. The problem? 27,133 people in Switzerland still smoked in 2017, and smoking causes 8,600 deaths in the country each year. It also represents a financial cost of more than 10 billion Swiss francs (including healthcare costs and lost productivity).
Switzerland “lagging behind”?
The Association of European Cancer Leagues has published a report on anti-smoking public policies implemented in 35 European countries as well as Israel. Switzerland, the last European country not to have ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), appears to be a poor performer. Considered by many to be the "tobacco El Dorado," the country is actually home to the headquarters of the largest tobacco companies: Philip Morris International (PMI), British American Tobacco (BAT), and Japan Tobacco International (JTI). Moreover, the fact that policies in place are specific to each canton opens the door more easily to interference.
To reduce smoking rates in Switzerland, the use of plain packaging, widely used in Europe, or increasing the price of tobacco could, however, be solutions that would protect citizens' health.
©Generation Without Tobacco[1] The restaurant survived 10 years without tobacco, www.tdg.ch (April 30, 2020 - consulted July 16, 2020). You may also be interested in these articles: CNCT, Switzerland is the home of tobacco multinationals, Tobacco-Free Generation (January 7, 2020 - accessed July 16, 2020). CNCT, Switzerland, a bad European student in the fight against tobacco, Tobacco-Free Generation (February 26, 2020 - accessed July 16, 2020). DNF, Flavored tobacco products and additives: a motion filed in Switzerland, Tobacco-Free Generation (June 26, 2020 - accessed July 16, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World | CF
