cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/24577648

Buy european (and boycott USA) - Swiss edition 🇨🇭

Hi! I've been following the #buyeuropean movement since about a year and amidst current political events I felt the need to deepen my engagement. All existing lists and guides have been a great resource but I still felt like they didn't have an impact big enough on my consumer habits. This is why I did some research on everyday products in my local supermarkets for the people in Switzerland.

The following lists have been created with the goal to endorse products and alternatives that are as local as possible and belong to companies that are somewhat established but without a horrendous reputation. This is why Nestlé is in the avoid section but if you don't care much about that you can see them as alternatives instead.

Keep in mind that this is a list written by me, a single person, so it's likely to be influenced by my consumer habits, my lifestyle, my location etc. If anyone has more recommendations or finds something was ill-researched, you're most welcome to contribute. I might edit this list later on myself.

To the list:

• The company in Brackets is the manufacturer or - if owned externally - the parent company of the manufacturer. For research I've been looking up predominantly Wikipedia or the brands official page.
• To almost every product there are store brand alternatives like M-Classic and M-Budget (Migros), naturaplan, fine food, Karma and Prix Garantie (Coop) and others (Denner, Lidl, Aldi, etc.) which I didn't bother to list everywhere. But those are good alternatives most of the time, so don't forget about them!

Food

Dairy

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Fresh Cheese	Philadelphia (Mondelez 🇺🇸)	Filona (Züger Frischkäse 🇨🇭)Cantadou (Bel Group 🇫🇷)Tartare (Savencia 🇫🇷)
Yoghurt	Hirz (Nestlé 🇨🇭)LC1 (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	Emmi 🇨🇭Activia (Danone 🇫🇷)

Frozen section

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Frozen Snacks	Buitoni (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	Dr. Oetker 🇩🇪Findus (Nomad Foods 🇬🇧)Kern & Sammet 🇨🇭
Ice Cream	Ben&Jerry's 🇺🇸 (Unilever 🇬🇧)Extrême (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Frisco (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Häagen-Dazs (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Mövenpick (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Maxibon / Rakete / Pralinato (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	Creme d'Or (Migros 🇨🇭)Gasparini 🇨🇭Kalte Lust 🇨🇭Emmi 🇨🇭

Grains

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Mexican inspired	Old El Paso (General Mills 🇺🇸)Pancho Villa (General Mills 🇺🇸)	Store brandsFiesta del Sol (Migros 🇨🇭)
Rice	Ben's Original (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)	Store brandsTom's Best (Coop 🇨🇭)Mister Rice (Migros 🇨🇭)

Sauces

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Sauces	Heinz 🇺🇸Thomy (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Maggi (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	Store brandsHugo 🇨🇭

Breakfast

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Cereals	Kelloggs (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Cini Minis / Lion Cereals / Cookie Crisp (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	Familia 🇨🇭Farmer (Migros🇨🇭)Country (Coop 🇨🇭)Alnatura 🇩🇪
Chocolate Spreads	De Rujiter (Mondelez 🇺🇸)	Lindt 🇨🇭Ovomaltine 🇨🇭 (Associated British Foods 🇬🇧)Caotina 🇨🇭 (Associated British Foods 🇬🇧)Nutella (Ferrero 🇮🇹)Nocciolata (Rigoni di Asiago 🇮🇹)

Snacks

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Salty snacks	Pringles (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Doritos (PepsiCo 🇺🇸)Pancho Villa (General Mills 🇺🇸)TUC (Mondelez 🇺🇸)Lay's (Pepsico 🇺🇸)	Zweifel 🇨🇭Farm Chips 🇨🇭 (Migros)Tyrrells 🇬🇧
Chocolate	Toblerone (Mondelez 🇺🇸)Cailler (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Smarties (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Kitkat (Nestlé 🇨🇭)M&Ms (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Malteser (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Twix / Snickers / Mars / Milky Ways / Bounty (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Reese's (Hershey 🇺🇸)Balisto (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Mikado (Mondelez 🇺🇸)Milka (Mondelez 🇺🇸)	Lindt 🇨🇭Ragusa (Camille Bloch🇨🇭)Torino (Camille Bloch🇨🇭)Frey (Migros🇨🇭)Kägi 🇨🇭Halba 🇨🇭Ovomaltine 🇨🇭 (Associated British Foods 🇬🇧)Kinder (Ferrero 🇮🇹)Toffifee (August Storck 🇩🇪)Knoppers (August Storck 🇩🇪)
Cookies	Oreo (Mondelez 🇺🇸)	Kambly 🇨🇭Wernli 🇨🇭
Sweets	Sugus (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Skittles (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)	Trolli 🇩🇪Haribo 🇩🇪Nimm 2 (August Storck 🇩🇪)
Chewing gum / Mints	Hubba Bubba (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Airwaves (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)	Ricola 🇨🇭Stimorol (Perfetti van Melle 🇮🇹🇳🇱)Mentos (Perfett van Melle 🇮🇹🇳🇱)Fisherman's Friend 🇬🇧Tictac (Ferrero 🇮🇹)

Beverages

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Alcohol	Jack Daniels 🇺🇸Jim Beam Bourbon 🇺🇸Woodford Reserve 🇺🇸Budweiser 🇺🇸	I don't drink much alcohol, suggestions welcome
Soft Drinks	Pepsi (PepsiCo 🇺🇸)Gatorade (PepsiCo 🇺🇸)7-up (PepsiCo 🇺🇸)Dr Pepper (PepsiCo 🇺🇸)Capri-Sun (Mondelez 🇺🇸)Oasis (Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)Coca-Cola / Fanta / Sprite (Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)Fuzetea/Fusetea (Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)Mezzo-Mix (Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)Powerade (Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)Schweppes (Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)Monster Energy 🇺🇸Arizona 🇺🇸Nestea (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	Ramseier 🇨🇭Sinalco 🇨🇭Rivella 🇨🇭Elmer 🇨🇭El Tony Mate (intelligentfood 🇨🇭)Migros Ice Tea (Migros 🇨🇭)Focus Water (Rivella 🇨🇭)Sirup (Migros 🇨🇭)Pepita (Mineralquelle Eptingen 🇨🇭)Flauder (Goba 🇨🇭)Farmer (Adelbodner 🇨🇭)Red Bull 🇦🇹Volvic (Danone 🇫🇷)Vitamin Well 🇸🇪Isostar (Associated British Foods 🇬🇧)
Water	Valser (Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)S. Pellegrino (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Henniez (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Vittel (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	tap-water duhKnutwiler 🇨🇭Rhäzünser (Feldschlösschen 🇨🇭)Adelbodner 🇨🇭Aproz (Migros 🇨🇭)Swiss Alpina (Coop 🇨🇭)Evian (Danone 🇫🇷)
Coffee	Nescafé (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Nespresso (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Starbucks 🇺🇸	Hochstrasser 🇨🇭Bertschi 🇨🇭Henauer 🇨🇭Vicafe 🇨🇭Chicco D'Oro 🇨🇭CoffeeB 🇨🇭Delizio 🇨🇭Lavazza 🇮🇹L'Or (Jacobs Douwe Egberts 🇳🇱)Tchibo 🇩🇪
Fruit Juice	Innocent (>90% Coca-Cola Co. 🇺🇸)	Sun Queen (Migros 🇨🇭)Biotta (Orior 🇨🇭)Anna's Best (Migros 🇨🇭)Sluups (Fresh Drink 🇨🇭)Andros 🇫🇷Granini (Eckes-Granini 🇩🇪)Alnatura 🇩🇪True Fruits 🇩🇪Hohes C (Eckes-Granini 🇩🇪)

Non-food

Household

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Laundry detergents	Ariel (P&G 🇺🇸)Lenor (P&G 🇺🇸)Febreze (P&G 🇺🇸)	Held 🇨🇭Total (Migros 🇨🇭)Elan (Migros 🇨🇭)Washo 🇨🇭Persil / Perwoll (Henkel 🇩🇪)Frosch (Werne & Mertz 🇩🇪)Omo (Unilever 🇬🇧)Vanish (Reckitt Benckiser 🇬🇧)
Cleaning utensils	Swiffer (P&G 🇺🇸)Scotch-Brite (3M 🇺🇸)Scrub Daddy 🇺🇸	Creaclean 🇨🇭Twist (Migros 🇨🇭)Flup (Coop 🇨🇭)Leifheit 🇩🇪Vileda (Freudenberg 🇩🇪)
Cleaning	Ajax (Colgate-Palmolive 🇺🇸)	Durgol 🇨🇭Potz (Migros 🇨🇭)Cif (Unilever 🇬🇧)Cillit Bang (Reckitt Benckiser 🇬🇧)Attitude 🇨🇦Dettol (Reckitt Benckiser 🇬🇧)Frosch (Werne & Mertz 🇩🇪)
Soap	Palmolive (Colgate-Palmolive 🇺🇸)Le Petit Marseillais (Kenvue 🇺🇸)	Method (Held 🇨🇭)mI am (Migros 🇨🇭)pH-Balance (Migros 🇨🇭)Well (Coop 🇨🇭)Nivea (Beiersdorf 🇩🇪)Dettol (Reckitt Benckiser 🇬🇧)

Drugstore

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Dental hygiene	Colgate (Colgate-Palmolive 🇺🇸)Elmex (Colgate-Palmolive 🇺🇸)Oral-B (P&G 🇺🇸)Listerine (Kenvue 🇺🇸)Meridol (Colgate-Palmolive 🇺🇸)	Curaprox 🇨🇭Dentamed (Coop 🇨🇭)Candida (Migros 🇨🇭)Trisa 🇨🇭Odol (Haleon 🇬🇧)Parodontax (Haleon 🇬🇧)Sensodyne (Haleon 🇬🇧)Philips 🇳🇱Signal (Unilever 🇬🇧)
Shaving	Gillette (P&G 🇺🇸)	Wilkinson Sword 🇬🇧Well (Coop 🇨🇭)Bic 🇬🇧
Intimate hygiene	Always (P&G 🇺🇸)Tampax (P&G 🇺🇸)Carefree (Johnson & Johnson 🇺🇸)	Molfina (Migros 🇨🇭)o.b. 🇩🇪Cosmea (Pelz Group 🇩🇪)Duchesse (Müller 🇩🇪)Tena (Essity 🇸🇪)
Haircare	Head & Shoulders (P&G 🇺🇸)Pantene (P&G 🇺🇸)	Belherbal (Migros 🇨🇭)Well (Coop 🇨🇭)Rausch 🇨🇭Garnier (L'Oréal 🇫🇷)Elsève (L'Oréal 🇫🇷)Schwarzkopf (Henkel 🇩🇪)Syoss (Henkel 🇩🇪)
Skincare	Neutrogena (Kenvue 🇺🇸)Le Petit Marseillais (Kenvue 🇺🇸)	Weleda 🇨🇭pH-Balance (Migros 🇨🇭)Kneipp 🇨🇭Nivea (Beiersdorf 🇩🇪)Eucerin (Beiersdorf 🇩🇪)CeraVe (L'Oréal 🇫🇷)La Roche Posay (L'Oréal 🇫🇷)
Tissues	Kleenex (Kimberly-Clark 🇺🇸)	Linsoft (Migros 🇨🇭)Well (Coop 🇨🇭)Tempo (Essity 🇸🇪)
Lip balms	Burts Bees (Clorox 🇺🇸)	Labello (Beiersdorf 🇩🇪)Vaseline (Unilever 🇬🇧)
Makeup	NYX 🇺🇸 (L'Oréal 🇫🇷)Maybelline 🇺🇸 (L'Oréal 🇫🇷)	L'Oréal Paris 🇫🇷

Pets

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Pet food	Whiskas (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Sheba (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Cesar (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Dreamies (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Pedigree (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Exelcat (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Perfect Fit (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)Edgar-Cooper (General Mills 🇺🇸)Purina (Nestlé 🇨🇭)Friskies (Nestlé 🇨🇭)	Delibest (Delipet 🇨🇭)Vitakraft 🇨🇭Lily's Kitchen 🇬🇧
Other stuff	Catsan (Mars Inc. 🇺🇸)	Optipet (Martec Handels 🇨🇭)

Some extras

There is still so much left to look into - clothing, outdoor, kitchen ware, cars, traveling, etc. - but because my time is limited and this post is already getting pretty long here are just a few more addings I felt strongly about.

Category	To avoid	Alternative
Payment	Visa 🇺🇸Mastercard 🇺🇸American Express 🇺🇸	Twint 🇨🇭 (wherever possible)
Second hand buying / selling	Facebook Marketplace	Ricardo 🇨🇭Tutti 🇨🇭Marko 🇨🇭
Streaming	Netflix 🇺🇸Amazon Prime 🇺🇸Disney Plus 🇺🇸etc.	playsuisse.ch 🇨🇭SRF 🇨🇭filmfriend.ch 🇨🇭cinu.ch 🇨🇭Arte.tv 🇫🇷🇩🇪Your local cinemaYour local libraryThe high seas 🏴‍☠️

If you got this far thank you for scrolling through and I hope this helped someone in their endeavour. My eyes have certainly been opened regarding some brands I never questioned or believed to be very Swiss.