Japan Tobacco Inc. has completed its pre-purchase radioactive material testing of this year’s Japanese domestic leaf tobacco.
In the latest round of tests, the company looked at Burley and native tobacco in a total of 147 areas.
Results from 146 areas were deemed to have fallen within the JT standard value (radioactive cesium of 100 Bq/kg), while the result from one area exceeded the standard value.
JT said that it would not purchase the leaf tobacco produced in the area where the results exceeded its standard value.
Testing started in the middle of July and the first results, for flue-cured, were announced on August 14.
JT said also that it would continue with its scheme of testing domestic leaf tobacco after purchase, and testing and monitoring it a number of times at each stage of the production process.
The tobacco for this year’s limited-edition Kardus snus has been harvested from around the small village of Cincho
Only 600 packages of Kardus will be made available
in western Spain.
As always, said Swedish Match (SM) in a note posted on its website, the tobacco had been carefully selected and meticulously handled to satisfy the demands of the most discerning snus users inSweden.
‘Only a few will have the opportunity to sample this exclusive edition, since only 600 packages will be released for sale, just in time for Father’s Day,’ the note continued.
‘This year’s edition is a snus with a distinct luster and an oily, black color.
‘The flavor features clear elements of licorice, dried fruit and rose hip.
‘The sherry used to flavor Kardus Cincho is a Cuco Oloroso from Jerez, which has an elegant and nuanced nutty fragrance and flavor with elements of dried figs, sultanas, light syrup and licorice.’
Meanwhile, SM said that the attention paid to the manufacturing of Kardus was unmatched by that of any other snus, and the end results were unique.
‘The plants are harvested whole and only the leaves are used in the manufacturing process,’ the note said. ‘By cutting instead of grinding the leaves, a completely different surface is created, producing flavors and nuances that can never be achieved in ground snus.’
The tobacco was cultivated on flat land at the foot of the massive Sierra de Gredos mountain range in sandy yet mineral-rich soil, and the plants were dried in open boxes, protected from the sun and rain.
Six hundred packages of Kardus will be available for sale in about 10 stores inStockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Lund, Sundsvall, Uppsalaand Haparanda during the week beginning October 22.
British American Tobacco has been commended by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for its approach to the disclosure of climate change information.
The company is one of 35 members of the FTSE 350 that feature in the CDP’s ‘Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index’ (CDLI).
“Companies that make the CDLI have demonstrated strong internal data management practices for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use,” said Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, according to a note posted on BAT’s website.
“They are also giving clear consideration to the business issues related to climate change and their exposure to climate-related risks and opportunities. This is vital to realising greater efficiencies, protecting the business from risk and capitalizing on opportunities.”
‘British American Tobacco achieved a score of 86 per cent to secure its place in the CDLI for a second successive year,’ the note said.
‘This follows British American Tobacco’s recent inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for an 11th consecutive year, maintaining its position as industry leader.
‘Those who feature in the CDLI, which is compiled by PwC [PricewaterhouseCoopers]on behalf of CDP, do so based on analysis of their responses to the CDP’s questionnaire focussing on greenhouse gas emissions, emissions reduction targets and the risks and opportunities associated with climate change.’
“We are absolutely delighted to be included on the CDLI as it recognises British American Tobacco’s commitment to addressing climate-related issues, said David Christian, group head of environment, health & safety.
“We, as a business, have made great strides on this so to be recognised as one of the leading FSTE companies in this field is an achievement we can be extremely proud of.”
An initiative backed by Imperial Tobacco is helping children in tobacco-growing areas of Malawi to attend school.
In a note posted on its website, Imperial said that the ‘Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco-growing (ECLT) Foundation’ was working with the government and other agencies to improve educational provision in rural areas.
All youngsters of school age were being registered, new classrooms being built and existing ones improved to cope with the influx of pupils.
The project offers financial support to families so that children do not need to work, along with greater protection for 15-17-year-olds already at work legally.
“It was great to see the difference the project is making to the lives of rural families,” said Charlie Rossignol, leaf partnership manager, after visiting one of the ECLT projects in Malawi.
Philip Morris International is due to host a live audio webcast at www.pmi.com starting at 09.00 hours Eastern Time on October 18 to discuss its 2012 third-quarter results, which will be issued about 07.00 hours on the same day.
During the webcast, which will be in listen-only mode, Jacek Olczak, CFO, will discuss the results and answer questions from the investment community and news media.
An archived copy of the webcast will be available at www.pmi.com until 17.00 hours on November 16.
The Altria Group is due to host a live audio webcast at www.altria.com beginning at 09.00 hours Eastern Time on October 25 to discuss its 2012 third-quarter business results.
The results will have been issued as a press release about 07.00 hours on the same day.
During the webcast, which will be in listen-only mode, chairman and CEO, Marty Barrington, and executive vice president and CFO, Howard Willard, will discuss the results and answer questions from the investment community and news media.
Pre-event registration is necessary at www.altria.com, where an archived copy of the webcast will be available until 17.00 hours on December 31.
The Australian federal government seems to be concerned that cigarette smuggling will increase with the imposition from December 1 of its requirement that tobacco products are sold in ‘plain’, ugly packs.
According to an Australian Associated Press story, people involved in tobacco smuggling inAustraliaare to face criminal charges under new changes to customs law.
The Senate today passed an amendment to the Customs Act that creates criminal offences in the case of those smuggling, conveying or possessing contraband tobacco products.
The shadow attorney-general, George Brandis, despite supporting the amendment, criticized the government for its “inconsistent and incompetent” handling of the issue.
He accused Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, of claiming that tobacco smuggling didn’t represent a major threat toAustralia.
“If there is no major threat why is it necessary to legislate?” Brandis asked.
“This is clearly an issue on which the government is in denial.”
Brandis said figures showed the illicit tobacco trade inAustralialast year was worth an estimated $1 billion in foregone tobacco excises.
The Customs Amendment (Smuggled Tobacco) Bill 2012, which carries a 10-year jail term for tobacco smuggling, passed without dissent.
The Andhra Pradesh MP, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, has written to the Indian Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, objecting to the implementation of guidelines drawn up by the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), according to a story in the most recent issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter.
Rao said that enforcement of the guidelines in India would adversely impact tobacco production and trade in the country.
He highlighted the effect of the FCTC guideline that sought to regulate the content of tobacco products and one requiring the disclosure of ingredients.
And he said that the FCTC policies would cause cigarette smuggling inIndiaand lead to the criminalization of the cigarette trade.
The FCTC’s fifth Conference of the Parties is due to meet next month at Seoul, South Korea, to discuss guidelines aimed directly at reducing tobacco production around the world.
Yunnan province’s Luoping county says it is speeding up the consolidation of its tobacco-production farmland, according to a Qujing Tobacco Monopoly Administration story relayed by Tobacco China Online
The consolidation is aimed at establishing a number of standard tobacco fields with well-established infrastructure that can produce stable yields during seasons of drought or excessive rain.
So far, the county has concluded the process of inviting tenders for the project of consolidating farmland in the Xinzhai district of Agang township.
The project, which may now have started, involves farmland attached to the villages Gangde and Nieqia, and will include local general infrastructure improvements to roads and drains.
Overall, Yuan28.06 million will be invested in the consolidation project.
A legal challenge by the tobacco industry to a ban on cigarette sales from vending machines in Scotland has been rejected by senior judges, according to a story in the Daily Record and Sunday Mail.
The ban is one of several measures being introduced under the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010.
Due to be implemented in October last year, the legislation was delayed after Sinclair Collis, the largest cigarette vending operator in theUK, challenged the ban in the Court of Session.
The company, owned by Imperial Tobacco, had argued the law was against the European Convention on Human Rights.
The firm lost the challenge and launched an appeal against the ruling.
However, Lord Carloway, sitting with Lords Bonomy and Osborne, today agreed with Lord Doherty’s earlier decision made in May 2011.
“The prohibition cannot be said to have failed to strike a balance between the public interest in maintaining good public health and the petitioners’ private economic interest in its use of vending machines,” concluded Carloway in rejecting the appeal.
