Fourchette verte Suisse - Schweiz - Svizzera

What Fourchette verte Suisse - Schweiz - Svizzera does

Fourchette verte Suisse is a non-profit federation headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, recognized as being of public utility and registered as an association under Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code since 1999 (with the label itself operating for more than 30 years). The federation operates two principal certification labels — Fourchette verte (food balance) and Fourchette verte – Ama terra (food balance plus sustainability, environmental, and socio-educational dimensions) — segmented into eight sub-brands covering the full lifecycle: Tout-Petits (crèches, 1–4 years), Junior (parascolaire, 4–20 years), Affiliation Junior and Affiliation Adulte (institutional care), Adulte (cafeterias, restaurants, corporate dining), Affiliation Senior (EMS/retirement homes), Senior@home (home meal delivery for elderly), and a Production Kitchen Attestation for central kitchens. Labelled establishments are evaluated annually against criteria grounded in the official nutritional recommendations of OSAV (Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office) and the Swiss Society for Nutrition (SSN), using a proprietary Health-Score methodology that grades dishes on an A–E scale. Over 1,700 establishments across all 18 Swiss cantons are currently labelled, collectively serving more than 120,000 meals daily.

The core technology comprises the Health-Score evaluation system and the Beelong Calculator, an online application co-developed with Beelong that allows collective catering professionals to calculate environmental impact and nutritional balance of menus. The federation employs a small central coordination office of three staff in Lausanne (Directrice Elisa Domeniconi, Coordinatrice Suisse alémanique Susanne Morach, and Responsable administration, communication & digital Isabelle Donia), with a broader structure of BSc-qualified dieticians across 18 cantonal sections providing direct outreach, menu evaluation, and annual re-labelling. Governance is via a committee led by President Susanne Schaffner (Conseillère d'État of Solothurn), comprising representatives of cantonal sections, cantonal health departments, and the agriculture/environment sector.

The business model is hybrid: revenue is generated through annual labelling and re-labelling fees paid by member establishments, supplemented by structural funding from 18 cantons (coordinated via CLASS for the six Latin cantons and direct support from 11 German-speaking cantons), institutional grants from Promotion Santé Suisse (including the 'Bien-être 65+' project 2025–2027) and Fondation Sana (2026 ultra-processed food reduction project), and individual donations. The go-to-market is consultative and expert-led: cantonal dieticians proactively contact prospective establishments, conduct initial presentations, perform menu analyses and on-site meal testing, and manage annual re-labelling through a labelling commission. Distribution is entirely indirect through cantonal sections, with no self-serve or e-commerce channel. The organization is not listed, not PE/VC backed, and operates under non-commercial ownership.

Name

Fourchette verte Suisse - Schweiz - Svizzera

Legal name

Fédération Fourchette verte Suisse

Website

https://fourchetteverte.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fourchette verte Suisse is a non-profit federation that certifies collective catering establishments across all 18 Swiss cantons under two labels (Fourchette verte and Fourchette verte – Ama terra), serving over 1,700 establishments and 120,000+ daily meals with annual dietitian-led evaluations grounded in OSAV and SSN nutritional standards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collective Catering Certification

akta.pro primary industry

Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF) (AFALAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Management System Certification (Food Safety + Quality/Environment/OHS) (AFALACAI), Specialty Certification Services (Organic, Non-GMO, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-Free) (AFALAAAM), Label Artwork/Regulatory Review & Compliance Consulting (FDA/USDA/EFSA; format, allergens, QUID) (AFALAHAL)

Keywords

• Collective catering certification
• Food labeling services
• Nutritional certification labels
• Sustainable catering labels
• Balanced meal accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and labelling fees: Fourchette verte Suisse is a non-profit organisation recognised as being of public utility. Revenue is generated through membership fees and labelling/annual re-labelling fees charged to establishments (crèches, schools, restaurants, senior homes, etc.) seeking the label. The federation also receives financial support from cantons and from Promotion Santé Suisse. Donations from individuals and organisations are also accepted (CCP 17-345279-5, IBAN CH72 0900 0000 1734 5279 5).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fourchette verte Suisse awards certification labels for collective catering establishments (crèches, schools, restaurants, senior homes, meal delivery services and production kitchens) recognising balanced and sustainable menus. The base Fourchette verte label covers food balance while the advanced Fourchette verte – Ama terra label adds environmental and socio-educational criteria. Certification involves annual menu evaluation, on-site meal testing and validation by a labelling commission, delivered through a network of 18 cantonal sections staffed by qualified dieticians.

Product overview

Fourchette verte Suisse is a federation offering two main certification labels for collective catering establishments: Fourchette verte (for food balance) and Fourchette verte - Ama terra (for food balance, sustainability, and socio-educational dimensions). The labels are segmented by target audience into eight sub-brands covering the full lifecycle: Tout-Petits (1-4 years), Junior (4-20 years), Affiliation Junior, Affiliation Adulte, Adulte, Affiliation Senior, Senior@home, and Production Kitchen Attestation. The portfolio is supported by the Beelong Calculator tool for environmental impact and nutritional balance calculation, and practical tools including recipes, educational guides, and fact sheets. The organization operates through 18 cantonal sections in Switzerland, providing annual certification audits and personalized dietitian support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fourchette verte: Label for food balance in collective catering.
• Fourchette verte - Ama terra

Products and services

• Fourchette verte Label

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,700 labelled establishments serving more than 120,000 balanced and sustainable meals daily across 18 cantons.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and strategic.

• Fondation SanaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Fondation Sana supports Fourchette verte Suisse in the project 'Limiter l'utilisation d'aliments ultra transformés dans les crèches, établissements du parascolaire et foyers labellisés Fourchette verte' (2026), aimed at reducing ultra-processed foods in labelled settings.
• Promotion Santé SuissecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPromotion Santé Suisse supports Fourchette verte Suisse under the 'soutien d'offres éprouvées' (proven-offer support) programme, funding the federation's coordination and label development. In the innovation support domain, it funds the 'Bien-être 65+' project (2025–2027) aimed at developing a collective catering concept that stimulates seniors' appetite. This is the primary institutional funding partnership.
• CLASS (Conférence latine des affaires sanitaires et sociales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Latin cantons (Geneva, Vaud, Valais, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Jura) collectively support the structural functioning of Fourchette verte Suisse through CLASS, which coordinates their sanitary and social affairs policy.
• Cantons alémaniques (German-speaking cantons: AG, BE, BL, BS, GR, NW, LU, SG, SO, TG, ZG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 11 German-speaking member cantons support the structural functioning of Fourchette verte Suisse, complementing the Latin canton support via CLASS. Together, 18 cantons fund the federation.
• OSAV (Office fédéral de la sécurité alimentaire et des affaires vétérinaires)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing the 2024 update of Swiss quality standards, a formal partnership was initiated between Fourchette verte Suisse and OSAV to work toward uniform Swiss recommendations in collective catering. The label criteria are based on OSAV's official nutritional recommendations.
• SSN (Société Suisse de Nutrition)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourchette verte Suisse is a partner and member of the Swiss Society for Nutrition. The label criteria are based on SSN recommendations, and the partnership ensures scientific alignment with Swiss nutritional policy.
• Alliance alimentation et santéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourchette verte Suisse is a member of the Alliance alimentation et santé, a Swiss platform coordinated by public-health.ch that unites stakeholders working at the intersection of diet and health.
• BIO SUISSEstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourchette verte Suisse and BIO SUISSE have an active collaboration combining balanced nutrition with environmental respect. The partnership provides labelled establishments with guidance on sourcing organic products and supports the organic catering guide published by Fourchette verte.
• BEELONGstrategicTechnology or IntegrationFourchette verte Suisse and Beelong co-developed the Beelong Calculator, an online application enabling collective catering professionals to calculate the environmental impact and nutritional balance of their menus. Fourchette verte endorses and distributes the tool to labelled establishments.
• FiBL (Institut de recherche de l'agriculture biologique)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe federation collaborates with FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) within the IntercropVALUES project, aiming to promote the use of fava bean (féverole) in collective catering. This includes recipe development (panisse, spätzli, and galette recipes using fava bean flour) and testing in labelled crèches.
• Healthy3minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourchette verte Suisse participates in a multi-stakeholder platform coordinated by Healthy3, alongside organisations such as WWF and Swiss higher education institutions, to promote responsible meat consumption. The platform is active in transforming collective catering practices around protein sourcing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• Promotion Santé Suisse: Swiss foundation funded by health insurers; comparable as a public health funding body that supports preventive health measures including nutrition labelling, and serves as a key institutional partner of Fourchette verte.
• scienceindustries (Swiss business association): Swiss industry association for chemistry, pharma, and food; relevant as an ecosystem player promoting food standards and labels in Switzerland, though not a direct certification competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Fairtrade International: Global ethical certification body with similar non-profit governance and expert-driven auditing structure; comparable as a labelling authority addressing social and environmental standards in food supply chains.
• Bio Suisse: Swiss organic certification body for agricultural products and processing; established partner of Fourchette verte and a complementary certification scheme targeting overlapping collective catering establishments with environmental/sustainability criteria.
• MSC (Marine Stewardship Council): Global sustainability certification body for seafood; comparable as a scientific, non-profit labelling authority with annual audits and stakeholder governance, though operating in a different product category.
• BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards): Global food safety certification standard owned by the British Retail Consortium; parallels Fourchette verte's food safety/labelling function for collective catering, though operating internationally and at a different scale.

Direct peers

• IP-SUISSE: Swiss integrated production certification label covering sustainable agriculture; serves as a competing certification scheme for collective catering sourcing claims, particularly relevant to Ama terra sustainability dimension.
• Demeter Switzerland: Swiss biodynamic certification body for organic food production; competes for the same sustainability-conscious catering establishments and offers a stricter alternative label in the Swiss collective catering market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fourchette-verte-suisse-schweiz-svizzera

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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