Addiction experts warn too many young people buy alcohol illegally in Switzerland

Out of more than 13,000 test purchases made in 2023, 27.3% were illegal, a rate identical to that recorded in 2022. Keystone / Christian Beutler

Too many young people in Switzerland are still able to obtain alcohol illegally. According to Addiction Switzerland, more than a quarter of all sales of beer, wine and spirits are illegal. Online purchases are particularly problematic.

Out of more than 13,000 test purchases made in 2023, 27.3% were illegal, a rate identical to that recorded in 2022, the organisation active in addiction research said on Tuesday. In 78.2% of cases, sales staff explicitly asked for age and/or identification.

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Petrol stations had the lowest rate of offences, with 17.6% of illegal sales, followed by chain shops and large retailers (27.4%) and cafés/restaurants (28.5%). The infringement rate is highest at events (44.2%).

There are major shortcomings in the application of youth protection laws to online commerce. Nearly 90% of the 156 test purchases of alcohol made from restaurant ordering and delivery sites resulted in illegal sales to young people (2022: 84%). A declaration of age or proof of identity was requested in only 14.3% of cases.

+ Swiss above average for alcohol consumption

In other tests carried out in 115 online shops, and limited to the ordering process, age was checked in only 8% of cases. This was done using a copy of an identity document or a digital ID.

At present, few cantons have a legal framework that allows a company to be penalised for illegal sales to young people. This situation is set to change this autumn with the entry into force of a new article in the Federal Law on Foodstuffs.

According to Addiction Switzerland, this legislative change should strengthen the application of the legal provisions. Online sales platforms in particular need to step up their controls and put in place more effective age verification systems.

Translated from French by DeepL/jdp

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