Hi there,

First time poster. I will be visiting Switzerland in July for a 14-day hike in the Berner Oberland and the Ticino region with my husband and some of our siblings and cousins.

My husband and I have some digestion and autoimmune conditions that we manage very well from eating high quality (I think the Swiss call it 'bio') meat and organic vegetables -- no grains, beans, dairy. We realize this poses a challenge hiking hut-to-hut with mostly rosti and grains for options. So we wanted to plan to bring some supplemental meat and quality fats -- jerky, dried sausage, or some version.

I made some pemmican (a Native American recipe for jerky mixed with tallow and berries) but then discovered this may not be allowed into Switzerland (though the website contradicts itself: here vs. here on pg. 4).

I saw this thread but that doesn't address availability for me as I can't have it shipped as I won't have an address in Switzerland. I would need to purchase my goods in one of the cities where we fly in or pass through (Geneva, Zurich or Interlaken) en route to our starting point in Gimmelwald.

I would appreciate any contacts or information about suppliers or farmers that might help me find these supplies.

Thanks for your help in advance!

Best,
Chef Remy

Welcome to the forum. I hope you are prepared for the sh*tstorm of debate to which your post will surely give rise

One clarification - maybe it was just bad formatting, but "bio" is equivalent to "organic" rather than "high quality". The exact definitions of organic in the US and bio in switzerland are different, but they are roughly equivalent.

To answer your question, if the Swiss definition of "bio" matches your needs, then any Coop or Migros superstore will stock a large range of products that meet that definition - you don't need to chase down farmers for that. There is a largish Migros in Zurich airport near the train station, a smaller one in Geneva airport and a large Coop across from Interlaken Ost (?) train station as you change trains to Gimmelwald so you can stock up there

Glad to hear from the Modfather

As an urban farmer and food educator I can appreciate the passion that arises when these topics come up. We are symptom-free and healthy thanks to our diet and lifestyle.

So we are only interested in getting our hands on the best (maximally organic, minimally processed) products: specific products, shops, farmers, websites, etc., that could help us purchase products that fit our interests would be usefu. While we will settle for what's available in grocery stores, if we can support small-scale family farmers that are stewards of Swiss soil that would give me pleasure

We have a relatively short amount of time to shop en route to our trail-head so that's why we'd like specifics -- specific products that are available in specific shops in Geneva, Zurich, Interlaken, or Murren.

If I'm able to bring in my own products (either homemade or commercially produced) for us for our trip, then this topic is a non-issue for me

Also, I'd love to get clarification on what we can bring in our packs from the US. The ch.ch resources contradict themselves from my understanding (per my links). I wrote to them, but no response yet. Maybe I will post separately in the forum on that topic.

Thanks again, looking forward to recommendations!!

The websites do not contradict themselves. One informs about the allowed origins of the goods, the other one is about the amount and customs tariff of the (allowed) goods.

Can you tell specifically what ingredients should not be in your meat products? Then we may list suitable replacement stuff from the long list of: Landjaeger, Schüblig, Salsiz, Mostbröckli, Bündnerfleisch, Walliser Trockenfleisch, Salami, Pantli, Lammlidji,.

Thanks for your reply. You are right I think -- and another poster said the same thing in my post here. I think I just didn't want to see it it

I'm looking for a product that contains any of the following: meat and/or unprocessed animal parts (as close to bio or better as possible), dried herbs, salt.

No: mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), hydrogenated anything, seed/soy/corn/grain/vegetable oils, corn starch, bean gums (guar, xantham), carageenan, flour, gluten, grains/oats/groats, added nitrates.

I really appreciate your recommendations!

Oops, here: Looking for clarification on personal US dried meat imports