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. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.