Taking the sparkle out of packs

The Dutch government has warned that if new restrictions on tobacco-packaging designs are not adhered to, ‘even more stringent regulations’ will be introduced, according to a nltimes.nl story relayed by the TMA.

The even-more-stringent regulations could include standardized packaging.

Martin van Rijn, the State Secretary of Public Health, recently announced that tobacco product packs containing “holograms, sparkles, shiny and glamorous colors, embossing or expressions referring to a specific theme such as a World Cup or King’s Day” will be banned from July 1, 2017.

This move was described as part of a series of measures aimed at discouraging people from smoking.

Under the measure, which applies to cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, sisha and cigarillos, packs cannot carry elements that suggest “sound-, light-, smell- or taste-effects, such as a characteristic odor or ink that lights up when you open the package”.

All tobacco product packs are required to be printed in matt and smooth finishes.

The government said it would oversee the implementation of the measure, adding that violations would result in “even more stringent regulations” such as a requirement for standardized packaging.