RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Good morning, I'm Rachel Martin. Time for a little spring cleaning - Switzerland may be taking it a little far. The country announced plans this week to take coffee out of its national pantry. For decades, it's had a national emergency stockpile of essential staples - sugar, rice and coffee, for example. The Swiss consume twice as much as the average American. Now, in a move that defies historic Swiss neutrality, the government says - and I quote - "coffee is not essential for life." We, the staff of MORNING EDITION, respectfully disagree.
For decades, government officials in Switzerland stockpiled essential staples such as sugar, rice and coffee. The government now says coffee "is not essential for life."