Swiss food initiative loses support in SRG poll

Support for Switzerland’s food initiative has fallen sharply, with 64 percent of voters saying they would reject it, according to a second SRG poll conducted by GFS Bern and reported by SRF. Thirty-three percent said they would approve the proposal in a vote held in early September.

The support rate has dropped by 14 percentage points since the first SRG poll, turning an evenly divided result into a clear trend against the initiative. Seventy-one percent of respondents now have a firm voting intention, while 3 percent remain undecided.

What the initiative proposes

The initiative calls for Switzerland to aim for a self-sufficiency rate of at least 70 percent. It would promote the production of fewer animal-based and more plant-based foods, which its supporters say would feed more people using the same amount of land.

Supported by environmental groups including the Sauberes Wasser für alle association, the proposal also seeks to strengthen drinking-water protection and preserve soil fertility and biodiversity. Its goals would have to be achieved within 10 years of acceptance. The Swiss government and Parliament recommend rejecting the initiative.

Expectations about the vote have also hardened. Eighty-six percent of eligible voters expected the initiative to be rejected in early September, up 10 percentage points from the first poll. Fourteen percent expected it to pass. On average, respondents estimated that 39.4 percent would vote yes.

Only Greens clearly support proposal

Party affiliation is the strongest dividing line. Support among Green voters stands at 78 percent, despite falling by 6 percentage points. Among supporters of the Social Democrats, the yes share has dropped to 49 percent, while it is 42 percent among Green Liberal voters. Neither group now has a majority in favour.

Support stands at 22 percent among Centre voters, 17 percent among Swiss People’s Party voters and 12 percent among Free Democratic Party voters. Among people without a party affiliation, 33 percent intend to vote yes.

Support has fallen across social groups, although differences by age and gender remain. Thirty-eight percent of women back the initiative, compared with 28 percent of men. Support stands at 39 percent among voters under 40, 31 percent among those aged 40 to 64 and 30 percent among people over 65.

Lukas Golder, co-director of the GFS Bern research institute, said there could still be movement among women and younger voters.

Broad aims popular, specific demands less so

The initiative’s main arguments remain supported by majorities, but their backing has weakened. Seventy-eight percent support protecting water resources, 71 percent believe the proposal would contribute to supply security and 62 percent see benefits for biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

Golder said the initiative’s general direction, including action on climate, water and biodiversity, reflected public sentiment. However, he said its specific demands were less convincing, particularly the timetable and the high self-sufficiency target.

Seventy-four percent consider it unrealistic to raise the self-sufficiency rate to 70 percent within 10 years. Sixty-nine percent see the fixed deadlines as a risk to ongoing investments and as a potential cause of higher costs.

According to Golder, the initiative is failing because of the scale of its demands, the pace required and the high self-sufficiency target.

Initiative overshadowed by neutrality vote

Golder said the food initiative had attracted relatively little attention and was being overshadowed by the neutrality initiative. It had not generated strong enthusiasm or addressed a problem that many people perceived, he said.

He said the rejection trend could therefore strengthen further before the vote on September 27, adding that the final support levels could be even lower.

Political backing is also limited. The Workers’ Party and the Young Greens are the only parties recommending a yes vote. The Greens have decided to allow members to vote freely.

GFS Bern conducted the SRG-commissioned poll between September 2 and 9, 2026, with September 5 as the average interview date. The analysis included responses from 12,916 eligible voters.