The federal government is launching a campaign to improve the security of supply for families. This has a long tradition in Switzerland.
Be prepared just in case: canned vegetables.
How quickly times change. When the chief executive of the army at the time, André Blattmann, said in a newspaper interview ten years ago that he had thirty or forty-six packs of mineral water at home, as well as cans and wood for the fireplace, he met with a lot of ridicule. SP politician Fabian Molina said: “Does Konserven-Blattmann also store garlic against the global domination of vampires?” Today, even Molina would probably admit that his opinion has aged badly – after a pandemic, severe storms in Switzerland, a barely canceled power shortage and a war in Europe. The seemingly unimaginable can happen at any time, and the Swiss Confederation will not be unaffected.
On Tuesday, the Federal Office for National Economic Supply launched a new campaign to hold emergency supplies – “a simple and very effective measure in the event of a crisis” to ensure “independence of supply” for a few days. It is said to help everyone “get through a challenging time”.
The need for the call seems to have arisen because even in the world’s most insurable country, the willingness to provide short-term self-sufficiency has declined. The state-promoted emergency stockpile has a long tradition in Switzerland.
Child of the Cold War
After the experience of shortages and sacrifices during the two world wars, the Federal Council introduced compulsory stockpiling and appointed a delegate for economic war preparedness, a kind of general emergency supplies – gouverner, c’est prévoir! In the spring of 1950, the government spoke directly to the people: “It is wise to establish central compulsory camps through a small compulsory camp in each family.”
A little later the Korean War began. But the population did not understand the “signs of the times,” as the authorities criticized. Surveys showed that more than a third had not created any stocks at all or had already used them. Further appeals and an attempt at a standard emergency supply package in the retail trade failed. The carelessness was so great that the federal government gave up: “We don’t expect much from new calls.”
That changed in 1956 when the Soviet Union suppressed the Hungarian uprising. Fear of a communist attack prompted panic buying that temporarily paralyzed trade. That drove in. And the federal government now regularly launches major campaigns to create private emergency stocks. From then on, he was considered the “epitome of fatherly prudence”.
The basic range should be kept as simple as possible “to make the task easier for housewives,” as stated. It included, among other things, rice, sugar, fat, batteries, candles, matches, and of course: “Don’t forget the liquid!” The official propaganda came in the form of posters and advertisements, as leaflets or brochures, with comic drawings, as features on the radio, in the cinemas, and later on television, even as cartoons.
Slogans such as “Little time – emergency supplies” or, more rhythmically, “Smart advice – emergency supplies” were used for advertising. The famous “Civil Defense” booklet, distributed by the federal government to all families in 1969, also had a chapter on the subject: “Don’t wait for the political situation to get worse again. Then it may be too late.” The print later became an export hit in Japan and introduced the local population to the “previously unknown concept of emergency supplies” as “Civil Defense” magazine described it. cause happily.
However, depending on the global situation, the Swiss population adhered to the official guidelines with varying degrees of discipline. In 1978, a study concluded that while 70 percent of the population knew the need to build an emergency stockpile, only 10 percent did so in full. Even after the end of the Cold War, the Federal Council appealed to citizens to take personal responsibility. The dangers were simply different now than communist invasion and nuclear war between the superpowers.
The authorities have since warned of natural or industrial disasters, terrorism or blackouts as reasons for a short-term uncertain supply situation. In 1997, the title of the official brochure was: “Home supplies – so that the worst case is not a trap.” In 2010, a “guide for emergency situations” was published, including a recipe for “cooking without electricity”.
And now, in the context of the current crises, the federal government’s new campaign for emergency supplies continues.
Pet Buying Guide
Brochures, checklists and instructional videos can be found on the federal government website. Where previously quantities of hard goods were multiplied in an emergency, innovation is now helping the most calculator. This allows you to calculate basic equipment for your own family with a few clicks: The number of adults, children and small children plays a key role, as does the period in which the family should be provided independently – from three day to a maximum. of two weeks. In keeping with the times, eating habits are also taken into account when combining: “meat-eater” or “vegetarian”? Intolerant to gluten, lactose or nuts? Pet owners are also supported with emergency shopping.
The Federal Office for National Economic Supply is trying to “sensitize” the population to the matter mainly through social networks, as it announced upon request. The retail trade supports the campaign, which has cost 60,000 francs so far: “As the last link in the value chain, it is the link between the goods and the population. Its function as a sales and distribution center is critical to security of supply.”
This is of course so. But it is also reminiscent of a continuity that goes back to the era of the Cold War: official propaganda soon aroused commercial desires among large distributors, who pushed for the widest possible range and large quantities of emergency stocks. And hoping for budgetary discipline, as the wife of the Federal Councilor Gnägi once expressed in the “Schweizer Illustrierte”: “Yes, I have the necessary emergency supply for many years, I renew it every month or during a campaign.”