Swiss government says coffee 'not essential', stockpiling to end

FILE PHOTO: An employee checks freshly roasted coffee beans during cooling down in a tumbler at H. Schwarzenbach coffee roastery in Zurich, Switzerland December 4, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland on Wednesday announced plans to abolish the nation's emergency stockpile of coffee, in place for decades, after declaring the beans not vital for human survival, though opposition to the proposal is brewing.

Nestle, the maker of instant coffee Nescafe, and other importers, roasters and retailers are required by Swiss law to store bags of raw coffee. The country stockpiles other staples, too, such as sugar, rice, edible oils and animal feed.