Scientific data - Agroscope 2015 - Labexia 2025

Alpes vaudoises - Wood fires - For generations

L'Etivaz AOP
really nourishes

Unique nutritional composition - backed by science, forged by alpine pastures

Discover
25g
Protein / 100g
<0,1g
Lactose / 100g
1,6:1
Omega-6/3 ratio
720mg
Calcium / 100g

Terroir at the heart of nutrition

What the mountain pasture
puts in each tranche

Produced between 1000 and 2000 metres altitude, from May to October, over a wood fire in copper cauldrons, Etivaz PDO draws its nutritional qualities from a unique terroir. What the cows eat - exceptionally rich alpine flora - goes straight into the composition of the cheese.

🔥
The wood fire

The only Swiss cheese to be cooked directly over a wood fire (an integral part of the specifications), Etivaz PDO benefits from the intense heat that transforms the milk proteins and triggers an intense Maillard reaction. The result: incomparable flavours and nutrients that are more easily assimilated by the body.

🌿
Alpine flora

High altitude herbs, flowers and plants are naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids (ALA), which are found in the lipid profile of cheese.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
70 producer families

Know-how handed down from generation to generation: no industrial standardisation, each cheese reflects a specific mountain pasture.

Making L'Etivaz PDO in a copper cauldron - © Visualps
Copper cauldron production - © Visualps

Nutritional benefits - Measured data

Four reasons
to eat at L'Etivaz

Rigorous analyses by Agroscope (2015), Labexia (2025) and SQTS (2022) attest to this: Etivaz PDO is a food with a remarkable nutritional composition.

💪
25g
Complete proteins
Etivaz PDO covers 50 % of an adult's daily protein requirements in 100g. Consisting mainly of casein, the cheese provides the 9 essential amino acids. Prolonged maturing (10 months+) hydrolyses the proteins for optimum assimilation.
✅ Authorised claim
🌾
<0,1g
Lactose - naturally absent
The lactic acid bacteria active during the first 24 hours of production completely degrade the lactose. The result measured by Labexia (2025) is below the quantification threshold. No treatment, no additives - just natural fermentation.
✅ Authorised claim
🦴
720mg
Calcium - 90 % of RDA
A 100g portion of L'Etivaz provides 90 % of the recommended daily allowance of calcium. Combined with naturally-occurring vitamin D, this calcium contributes to healthy bones and teeth - authorised OEDAI claim.
✅ Authorised claim
⚖️
1,6:1
Omega-6 / omega-3 balance
The omega-6/omega-3 ratio of 1.62:1 in L'Etivaz PDO is exceptional - where the modern diet often exceeds 10:1. This profile, a direct reflection of Alpine grass, is one of the most distinctive nutritional assets of our Perle Vaudoise.
Valuable factual information
🔬
1,4%
CLA - natural rumenic acid
With 1.4 % of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) - a higher value than lowland cheeses - Etivaz PDO provides a rare natural fatty acid, produced directly in the rumen of cows grazing in the Alps. These natural CLAs are associated with support for the immune system, improved regulation of fat metabolism and properties that have been studied for their role in preventing certain diseases. A benefit that the Alpine pasture inscribes directly into the cheese.
Mention of composition
🌞
B12
Natural vitamins
100g of Etivaz provides more than 100 % of the RDA in vitamin B12, 36 % in vitamin A, 22 % in vitamin D and 20 % in B2. Natural richness, without fortification, directly linked to the quality of the mountain milk.
✅ Authorised claims

Scientific focus

The report
omega-6 / omega-3
who does everything

It's not just the quantity of omega-3s that counts - it's their balance with omega-6s. A high ratio in favour of omega-6 is associated with chronic pro-inflammatory effects. This is where Etivaz comes into its own.

Fatty acid Formula g/100g GA
ALA (omega-3 α-linolenic acid) C18:3 n-3 ~1,0 %
Linoleic acid (omega-6) C18:2 n-6 ~1,7 %
CLA (rumenic acid) C18:2 conj. ~1,4 %
EPA C20:5 n-3 <0.075 %
DHA C22:6 n-3 <0.075 %
Ratio ω-6 / ω-3 — 1,62

Source: Labexia 2025 - Agroscope 2015

Measured ratio - L'Etivaz PDO
1,62
Omega-6 / Omega-3
Omega-6 - 61.9 % Omega-3 - 38.1 %

Nutrition experts recommend a ratio ≤ 5:1.
Modern Western diets often exceed 12:1.

1,6:1
L'Etivaz PDO
≥10:1
Modern food
≤5:1
WHO recommendation
~3:1
Ideal goal

«Where modern food takes us away from the omega balance, L'Etivaz brings us back to it naturally. No additives, no industrial processes - just the faithful reflection of an exceptional mountain pasture.»

Sales pitch based on certified analyses

Swiss food law - OEDAI RS 817.022.21

What can we
legally say?

In Switzerland, nutritional claims are governed by the OEDAI. Here's what certified analyses can claim - and how to word them correctly.

✅ Authorised
Rich in protein
23 % of energy comes from proteins (legal threshold: 20 %). Criterion largely met.
«Naturally rich in protein»
✅ Authorised
Lactose-free
Lactose <0.1 g/100g (quantification threshold). Natural, untreated fermentation.
«Naturally lactose-free»
✅ Authorised
Rich in calcium
720 mg/100g = 90 % of RDA ("rich in" threshold: 30 % = 240 mg). Bone health claim OEDAI Annex 8 applicable.
«Rich in calcium - contributes to healthy bones».»
✅ Authorised
Source of vitamins
B12 (>100% RDA), A (36%), D (22%), B2 (20%) covered per 100g. Agroscope ALP 2008 values.
«Naturally rich in vitamin B12».»
⚠️ Conditional
Source of omega-3
Legal threshold: ≥0.3 g ALA/100g. Labexia 2025: ~0.37 g ✔ - SQTS 2022: 0.26 g ✘. Divergent results depending on method. Requires accredited analysis confirming ≥0.3 g ALA consistently.
Awaiting analytical confirmation
⚠️ Factual only
CLA natural
CLAs are not authorised to make health claims under current Swiss/European law. Only compositional information is permitted, without any health claims.
«Contains CLA, naturally present in Alpine pasture milk».»

Scientific basis

  • Goy D., Wechsler D. - Characterisation of L'Etivaz AOP and L'Etivaz à rebibes cheeses. Agroscope Science N°18 / 2015.
  • Labexia (CARSO Group) - Analysis report CMETRO92-250129-M-6. Etivaz 800g, fatty acid analysis. Quimper, 18/02/2025.
  • Swiss Quality Testing Services (SQTS) - Analysis report 2022L50949/1. Etivaz cheese 27683. Courtepin, 06.12.2022.
  • Jakob E. et al - Cheese, a precious food. ALP forum 2008 n°66 e. Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux Research Station ALP.
  • OEDAI - Claims formulated in accordance with the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Everyday Objects (OEDAI, RS 817.022.21).
  • EFSA - Scientific Opinion on health claims related to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and blood cholesterol. EFSA Journal 2011.
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