Taiwan food company ditches tobacco product sales

I-Mei Food, one of Taiwan’s biggest food companies, said on Wednesday that it would stop selling tobacco products in its stores from next month, according to a story in the Taipei Times.

The company cited the nation’s poor air quality, parents’ reaction to smoking, and actor-turned-activist Sun Yue’s anti-smoking efforts as reasons behind its decision.

Meanwhile, there has been a mixed reaction from the nation’s four major convenience store operators to I-Mei Food’s decision.

President Chain Store Corp’s 7-Eleven, the nation’s biggest convenience store chain, said it was still trying to understand the issue.

Family Mart said it had not discussed the issue, while Hi-Life and OK Mart said they had no plans to stop selling cigarettes.

OK Mart said its stores had a policy of selling but not promoting tobacco products.

Major hypermarket operators Carrefour, RT-Mart and Amart, and the Pxmart supermarket chain said they were maintaining their tobacco sales policies.

However, Costco said it would stop selling tobacco in its local outlets once its existing stocks were sold out.