There are products that one associates directly with a country. In Switzerland, Findus scallops and lasagna are part of that: the emergency dish that came out of the freezer when there was no time for anything else, which generations of Swiss people have eaten since the 1960s. Well, that will no longer be made in Switzerland.
The factory in Rorschach, in the canton of Saint-Gall, closes at the end of this year. 45 jobs disappear. The decision was made by Nomad Foods, the British multinational that owns the brand, after employees and the Unia union presented alternative proposals to save the site. All rejected. The possibility of the workers themselves buying the company was not even studied: the management did not even want to listen.
What is ironic is where production goes: to factories in Spain and Italy. The same countries that never had this tradition of Swiss délics are the ones that are going to manufacture them from now on. Nomad Foods promises to continue to use “some essential Swiss ingredients”. A rather modest consolation for the 45 who are out of work.
The Rorschach factory has roots dating back to 1942, and Findus has been embedded in everyday Swiss life since Nestlé bought the brand in the 1960s. There is something very representative about a British multinational closing that chapter without taking the time to explore alternatives. It usually happens like this.