Aldi Suisse launched new organic brand "retour aux sources"

Aldi Suisse created a new organic brand whose cornerstones are sustainability, transparency, fairness and top quality. Dairy products, meat and eggs are the first to be launched, more products will follow soon. The dairy products come from completely antibiotic-free animal husbandry.

Since May 12, the first 24 organic products under the brand "retour aux sources" in the areas of dairy products, meat and eggs have been available at Aldi Suisse. The Bio Suisse standards serve as the basis for the new brand. All of these products come from Bio Suisse-certified farms and at the same time, they meet the Prüf Nach! standard, whose specifications in some cases go far beyond the existing organic labels.

Milk without antibiotics

Antibiotic-free animal husbandry is guaranteed for all milk products – a first in Switzerland. This is made possible by particularly high animal welfare standards that keep the animals healthy and fit. These include mandatory pasture and loose housing as well as species-appropriate concentrate-free feeding with meadow and pasture fodder. Particularly robust cattle breeds are also selected. In meat production, grazing and permanent outdoor exercise are mandatory.

"If the animals are doing well and feel comfortable, they will produce the desired performance – completely without antibiotics. I am proud to be able to make an important contribution to the pioneering project with my farm," affirms organic farmer Hans Braun from Rothrist, who supplies milk for retour aux sources. In the case of dairy and egg farms, at least 12 percent of the farmland is supposed to be biodiversity promotion areas. In egg production, male chicks would also be raised.

Traceability back to the farms

As an important part of sustainability, retour aux sources goes beyond the standards of previous labels in Switzerland in terms of transparency. Through the website, consumers have the ability to trace all products online – back through the individual processors to the farms where the main raw material comes from. Fairness to producers is also a non-negotiable foundation of the brand.

A total of 24 items are at the moment available under the new organic brand, including milk, yogurt, mozzarella, various organic pastured beef items, and organic free-range eggs. But this is just the beginning: extensions of the retour aux sources range will include fruit and vegetables as well as cereals and chicken meat products which are planned for later this year.