|
 The packaging resembles that of juice boxes, candy or cookies, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission
said, noting a recent increase in the number of reports to poison
control centers.
"No tobacco products should be marketed in a way that endangers kids
– especially by using imagery that misleads them into thinking the
products are things they'd eat or drink," FDA Commissioner Scott
Gottlieb said in a statement
https://www.fda.gov/
NewsEvents/Newsroom
/PressAnnouncements/ucm605507.htm.
The FDA has made several sweeping moves in the past few months,
including setting a maximum nicotine level for tobacco products as
the regulator attempts to combat tobacco and nicotine addiction.
E-cigarettes are handheld electronic devices that vaporize an
"e-liquid" fluid typically including nicotine and a flavor
component. They have been grabbing market share away from
traditional tobacco companies, and are available in different
flavors.
"It takes a very small amount of these e-liquids, in some cases less
than half a teaspoon ... to (have) a fatal effect for a kid and even
less than that to make them very, very sick," an agency executive
said on a call with reporters.
The FDA cited examples including "One Mad Hit Juice Box," which
resembles children's apple juice boxes and "Twirly Pop," which not
only resembles a Unicorn Pop lollipop, but comes with one
https://www.fda.gov/
TobaccoProducts
/NewsEvents/ucm605729.htm.
Six of the letters issued were for dual violations where the
products were illegally sold to minors online as well as packaged
inappropriately.
[to top of second column] |
"We don't have to wait until there's been an actual injury of a
child we can take action if it's likely to cause substantial
injury," Acting Federal Trade Commission Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen
said.
The latest warnings come a week after the FDA sent 40 warning
letters to companies on the sale of tobacco products to minors,
particularly those made by Juul Labs Inc.
Twelve of the vendors issued warning letters on Tuesday did not
immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Nick Warrender of Lifted Liquids and E-Liquid Retail, which makes
Vape Heads Sour Smurf Sauce, said the product had been pulled from
the market and repackaged six months ago.
"We ... took a lot of money and steps to change the product to
something that wouldn't be (as) child-appealing as the original
packaging," Warrender said.
"It seems to be a false narrative that they (regulators) are
pushing."
(Reporting by Tamara Mathias, Sharnya G and Ankur Banerjee in
Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Sai Sachin Ravikumar)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
