Switzerland wants to stop stockpiling coffee, says 'it's not vital for human survival'; Twitter calls to save their caffeine elixir

An essential part of every Indian’s morning routine is his/her cup of coffee (preferably, filter coffee). Now imagine, there is a food emergency. Isn’t coffee automatically a part of the emergency stockpile? Switzerland, the cheese-loving neutral nation vehemently disagrees.

In a recent article published in The Guardian, Switzerland has announced plans to abolish the emergency stockpiling of coffee, a strategy that has been in place for decades, saying the beans are not vital for human survival. As per Swiss laws, coffee-makers, importers, coffee roasters and retailers are required to store bags of raw coffee. The country also stockpiles staples such as sugar, rice, edible oils and animal feed.

The Swiss Government had released a public statement denouncing its plans to stockpile coffee by the end of 2022, with companies free to draw down the coffee they already have in their warehouses. 

“The Federal Office of National Economic Supply as concluded coffee ... is not essential for life. Coffee has almost no calories and subsequently does not contribute, from the physiological perspective to safeguarding nutrition." 

A final decision on scrapping coffee stockpiles is expected in November. Opposing the government’s decision of the 15 companies with mandatory coffee stockpiles, 12 want to continue, in part because the stockpile system helped buttress the supply chain.

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Twitterati too agree with the coffee makers calling out to save their caffeine elixir. Here are some of the reactions: