Indonesian excise bands cause health concerns

The Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI) said yesterday that the pictorial health warnings on more than half of the tobacco product packs it had examined as part of a survey had excise bands over the top of them, according to a story in The Jakarta Post.

Government regulations stipulate that cigarette packs must carry pictorial warnings that must not be covered by anything, including excise bands.

According to a version of the story relayed by the TMA, the survey, which was conducted from February to March, looked at tobacco products offered by PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna (PMI), PT Bentoel (BAT), PT Gudang Garam, PT Djarum, and by ‘local’ companies such as Nojorono Tobacco International.

PT Bentoel was said to have had the lowest compliance with the regulation with all of the pictorial warnings on the sampled products covered by excise bands.

Local brands led in compliance with 65 percent.

YLKI urged the Finance Ministry to issue slimmer excise bands along with regulations governing the placement of the bands.