Category: News This Week

New Zealand: Call for RYO Graphic Warnings

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
A recent study by the University of Otago that was published in the Drug and Alcohol Review recommended that the New Zealand government require that graphic (pictorial) health warnings be placed on packages of roll-your-own tobacco, reports the Otago Times Daily.
Users of roll-your-own tobacco comprise 40 percent of all adult smokers in New Zealand, according to the study. The study’s lead researcher, Mei-Ling Blank, a research fellow in the Otago Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, noted that the nation had an unusually high percentage of roll-your-own smokers compared with many other countries, who also tended to believe their cigarettes were superior and that some health warnings did not fully apply to them.
Blank noted that in New Zealand, many more additives were included in roll-your-own tobacco than in tobacco in machine-made cigarettes, a fact that was opposite what the study’s participants presupposed. Blank said the report suggested that “new, harder-hitting, user-specific themes on tobacco pouches” should be applied.
April 2, 2021
Broughton Launches Blue-Sky Thinking Hub

Photo: BNS
Broughton Nicotine Services (BNS) has launched its Blue-Sky Thinking Hub, an “open innovation community” for companies to collaborate and develop ideas within the electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS), pharmaceutical and cannabis markets.
BNS is a contract research organization with more than 10 years’ experience helping ENDS companies bring tobacco-free nicotine-delivery products to market.
The company has recently added services aligned with a number of new product categories, including modern oral nicotine products, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabis-delivery devices and work with clients based in the U.S., China, U.K., Europe and the Middle East.

The Blue-Sky Thinking Hub seeks to engage companies with innovative ideas.
Nveed Chaudhary, chief regulatory officer, BNS
The Blue-Sky Thinking Hub encourages manufacturers and regulators to build strong relationships to overcome product development and regulatory challenges and work toward total harm reduction. An additional benefit is around considering solutions to potential regulatory concerns as part of the product development.
“Broughton Nicotine Services is dedicated to helping manufacturers meet regulatory requirements and delivering reduced-harm products to market,” said Nveed Chaudhary, chief regulatory officer at BNS.
“The Blue-Sky Thinking Hub seeks to engage companies with innovative ideas, which could be anything from new formulations to plastic-free or biodegradable products, technology to discourage and reduce youth access or even alternative charging for devices.
“Broughton helps these ideas to come to life by providing expert scientific and regulatory advice, contributing to the end goal of global total harm reduction.”

We invite industry professionals to discuss, debate and develop their ideas for new products aligned with regulatory requirements and to hopefully help influence and shape new policies.
Paul Moran, chief executive, BNS
“We are delighted to be launching the Blue-Sky Thinking Hub, which is the first of its kind in the industry,” said Paul Moran, chief executive at BNS.
“We invite industry professionals to discuss, debate and develop their ideas for new products aligned with regulatory requirements and to hopefully help influence and shape new policies.
“Together we can achieve total harm reduction and a smoke-free future.”
April 1, 2021
Jerry Fowden to Resign From BAT Board

Jerry Fowden
Jerry Fowden, nonexecutive director of British American Tobacco (BAT), has submitted his resignation from the board effective April 1, 2021, the company announced on its website. Accordingly, he will not seek reelection at the company’s annual general meeting on April 28, 2021.
Fowden decided to step down from the board to ensure there would be no potential for a conflict of interest to arise in view of his other external commitments, which he has decided to focus on.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Jerry for his valuable contribution to the company since his appointment as a nonexecutive director in September 2019,” said BAT chairman Richard Burrows. “We wish him the very best for the future.”
As the company’s notice of meeting has already been issued, the resolution to reappoint Jerry Fowden as a nonexecutive director of the company is now withdrawn.
Karen Guerra, a nonexecutive director of the company, will join the Audit Committee and step down from the Remuneration Committee effective April 1, 2021.
The Audit Committee now consists of Holly Keller Koeppel (chair), Karen Guerra, Luc Jobin and Darrell Thomas. Jobin will step down from the Audit Committee on appointment as chairman from the conclusion of the company’s annual general meeting.
The Remuneration Committee consists of Dimitri Panayotopoulos (chair), Sue Farr, Marion Helmes and Savio Kwan.
April 1, 2021
U.K. Urged to Challenge WHO’s Stance on THR
Mark Pawsey (Photo courtesy of UKVIA)
In a report released March 31, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Vaping calls upon the U.K. government to make the most of Brexit by challenging the World Health Organization’s (WHO) opposition to vaping at the upcoming Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of Parties (COP).
The call follows a four-month Inquiry into the FCTC by the APPG, which investigated the FCTC’s history, governance and approach to evidence-based decision-making. It was prompted by the WHO encouraging and applauding bans on vaping.
At a time when the U.K. government has set an ambitious target to make England smoke-free by 2030 and Public Health England has asserted vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking, the members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords wanted to ensure the WHO doesn’t turn its back on the lives of the 1 billion people around the world who still smoke, including the 7 million in the U.K.
The parliamentarians—which included Viscount Matt Ridley, a vocal advocate for reduced harm alternatives—have called on the government to consider “dramatically scaling back our funding” if they don’t see a change in the approach from the WHO with the FCTC better reflecting the U.K.’s national interests.
The main recommendations from the report include:
Ensuring the WHO returns to the founding principle of the Treaty, which includes harm reduction.
Restricting any decision to ban vaping and other reduced-risk alternatives to smoking.
Sending experts and consumers to sit alongside the Department of Health & Social Care officials at the multilateral event.
Establishing a Working Group to look at the science and evidence for new and emerging products.
Ensuring openness and transparency instead of secretive decision-making.
If the WHO continue to pursue an agenda-driven approach to ban less harmful alternatives to smoking, then the U.K. should consider dramatically scaling back our funding.
Viscount Matt Ridley
The inquiry heard evidence from Clive Bates, former director of anti-smoking group ASH, as well as professor Lynne Dawkins from the London South Bank University and consumer groups the New Nicotine Alliance and We Vape, among others.
They called for the delegation of departmental health officials, diplomats and activists usually sent to these events to be strengthened with experts who have real world experience and even former smokers who can attest to the benefits of vaping and other reduced-risk products. It was strongly felt that the voice of the consumer has been missing in these debates so far, and by defending the strong story the U.K has to tell at home, the government would be putting the marker down for “Global Britain” abroad.
Now that the U.K. has left the EU, the U.K. delegation is no longer bound to a common European position on tobacco and nicotine policy. The COP9 meeting would be one of the first opportunities for the U.K. to take a stand at a U.N. forum.
We call on the government to defend the U.K. approach, challenge the WHO to stub out their ban on vaping and help return the FCTC to its founding pillar of harm reduction.
Mark Pawsey, chair of the APPG for Vaping

The MPs called for coalitions to be built with like-minded countries that have embraced tobacco harm reduction and have their own good stories to tell. At previous COP meetings, member states have often been afraid to speak up, but the Inquiry encouraged the U.K. government to stand firm in defending its strong domestic position, even if the WHO continues with its prohibitionist approach.
“There is no doubt that the WHO has developed a negative stance in relation to vaping over recent years,” said Mark Pawsey, Member of Parliament for Rugby and chair of the APPG for Vaping. “We wanted to evaluate whether it remained fit for purpose in an evolved landscape where new technology has enabled new harm reduction strategies.
“One of the founding pillars of the treaty the U.K. signed up to nearly 20 years ago was that of harm reduction. If the WHO are opposed to adhering to this and continue to pursue an agenda-driven approach to ban less harmful alternatives to smoking, then the U.K. should consider dramatically scaling back our funding.
“At the FCTC COP9, the U.K. has a unique opportunity to champion its progressive, successful and evidence-based domestic policies on the global stage. We are a world leader in tobacco harm reduction, and we call on the government to defend the U.K. approach, challenge the WHO to stub out their ban on vaping and help return the FCTC to its founding pillar of harm reduction.”
The APPG has written to Jo Churchill, MP, the Public Health Minister at the Department of Health & Social Care, with its findings and has requested a meeting to discuss its recommendations.
This is the first of two Inquiries the APPG for Vaping is undertaking this year. Its second—looking at how the U.K. can diverge from EU rules to further the U.K.’s chances of reaching the smoke-free 2030 goal—is set to launch imminently.
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) applauded the APPG report.
“It’s about time that the vaping industry stood up against the World Health Organization (WHO), and the APPG on Vaping has done a great job of doing so, challenging the organization to change its approach to harm reduction and calling upon government to consider a reduction in funding if they continue in the same vein by taking a prohibitionist stance,” said John Dunne, director-general of the UKVIA. “It was also good to see that the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control treaty was called into question by parliamentarians, who want it to better reflect [the] U.K.’s national interest.”

It’s about time that the vaping industry stood up against the World Health Organization.
John Dunne, director-general, UKVIA
“It is crucial that the vaping sector, and former smokers turned vapers, speak with one voice to put pressure on the WHO to change its ways. As the body, which is meant to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable, the WHO has a moral responsibility to do the right thing. We know full well that vaping is a fraction of the harm of smoking and is proven to be the best way to quit smoking. In addition, some 3 million vapers in our country—a significant number who have vaped for a long time now and have experienced positive life changing benefits—is proof that it is highly effective.”
April 1, 2021
Conny Andersson Joins Sting Free

Conny Andersson (Photo courtesy of Sting Free)
Snus master blender Conny Andersson has joined Sting Free, a Swedish company that has developed a solution to eliminate the stinging sensation associated with snus use.
Andersson is a skilled and experienced tobacco expert and “father” to popular snus varieties, such as vintage snus Kardus (2005–2012), Islay Whiskey Snus, Crafted Snus and Hop (e) & Glory snus.
In recent years, Andersson helped produce several tobacco-free snus alternatives, including Infiniti, YoYo and others. Since 2015, Andersson has worked as a self-employed consultant for several Swedish and international companies, primarily in the snus and nicotine pouch industry.
Sting-free may become a new standard in the global oral nicotine industry.
Conny Andersson
“Sting-free may become a new standard in the global oral nicotine industry,” said Andersson in a statement. “The reason is that the burning sensation on the gums is a big obstacle for almost all adult nicotine users to take up snus or nicotine pouches [for the] first time. This is especially true in countries outside the Nordic region where there is no snus tradition at all. The fact that the new technology may also help smokers to dare trying a smoke-free oral nicotine alternative to cigarettes is inspiring.”
Andersson is a shareholder in Sting Free and a new member of the executive working group from April 2021.
Tobacco Reporter profiled Sting Free in July 2017 (see “Patching the Pouch”).
April 1, 2021
JTI to Upgrade its Romanian Factory

Photo: gavia26210 from Pixabay
Japan Tobacco International (JTI) will invest €60 million ($70.43 million) to upgrade the production capacities of its factory in Romania, reports SeeNews.
The investment program will be deployed over the next three years, increasing the volume of JTI cigarettes manufactured in Romania.
The factory located in Bucharest’s Pipera industrial area is expected to play a key role in JTI’s sourcing to the EU markets.
“JTI Manufacturing will be provided with cutting-edge equipment in terms of technology and production standards,” JTI Romania factory lead Jamie Dunlop said.
Romania is the third-largest cigarette manufacturer in Europe after Germany and Poland. At present, some 70 percent of JTI Manufacturing Romania’s production is exported to some 50 countries.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, in 2020, exports totaled over €1.3 billion.
JTI Manufacturing will be provided with cutting-edge equipment in terms of technology and production standards.
Jamie Dunlop, JTI Romania factory lead
Currently, JTI employs more than 1,200 people in Romania, including 500 at the Bucharest factory.
The company’s two entities in Romania—manufacturing and trading—paid over RON4.77 billion ($1.14 billion) in excise, VAT and other taxes, duties and contributions to the Romanian state in 2020, up 12 percent from the previous year.
JTI started operating in Romania in 1993 as R.J. Reynolds International and was one of the first multinationals to invest in the local tobacco industry. The company has invested over €250 million in Romania to date.
March 31, 2021
Bulgaria: Illegal Cigarettes Seized

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Bulgarian law enforcement officers seized more than 13 million smuggled cigarettes in the port city of Burgas, according to Xinhua Net. The cigarettes were destined for Hungary.
The illegal products were found in a semi-trailer that arrived by ferry from Georgia, according to the National Customs Agency (NCA) and Bulgaria’s prosecutor’s office.
The total value of the seized cigarettes is about $3 million.
Due to its location, Bulgaria is a favorite destination for traffickers, with 16.1 million illegal cigarettes seized by the NCA in 2020.
March 31, 2021
Industry Should Pay for Cleaning Cigarette Litter

Photo: Pixabay
The United Kingdom is considering a plan to force big tobacco companies to pay the annual cost of cleaning up discarded cigarette butts.
The move comes after fresh evidence reveals that cleaning up littered cigarette butts currently costs U.K. local authorities around £40 million ($55 million) per year. Despite smoking rates being at their lowest recorded level, cigarette filters continue to be the most littered item in England.
Among the options being looked at by ministers is a regulatory extended producer responsibility scheme for cigarette butts in England, a new power currently being legislated for in the environment bill. This would require the tobacco industry to pay the full disposal costs of tobacco waste products, ensuring the sector takes sufficient financial responsibility for the litter its products create.
“Cigarette butts are a blight on our communities, littering our streets or ending up washed down the drain and polluting our rivers and oceans,” said Environment Minister Rebecca Pow in a government press note. “We must all take action to protect our environment. We are committed to making sure that the tobacco industry plays its part. That is why we are exploring how cigarette companies can be held fully accountable for the unsightly scourge of litter created by their products.”

We must all take action to protect our environment. We are committed to making sure that the tobacco industry plays its part.
Rebecca Pow, U.K. environment minister
“We are making excellent progress in our ambition to be a smoke-free country by 2030, with smoking rates at a record low,” said Public Health Minister Jo Churchill. “While this is making a substantial impact on the public health of the country, the environmental impact of smoking due to cigarette butt and package littering is still a major issue.”
According to Keep Britain Tidy research, smoking-related litter is the most prevalent form of litter in England, making up 68 percent of all littered items and found on around 80 percent of surveyed sites.
Most cigarette butts are single-use plastic and contain hundreds of toxic chemicals once smoked. Littered cigarette filters can persist in the environment for many years and release these chemicals to air, land and water, harming plant growth and wildlife.
According to the Litter Strategy for England, the most effective way to tackle smoking-related litter is by reducing the prevalence of smoking in the first place. The government is committed and will publish a new tobacco control plan for England later this year to deliver its ambition of a smoke-free country by 2030.
The environment bill will allow the government to legislate for extended producer responsibility schemes, which could be applied to tobacco products. Cigarette and tobacco product packaging is already covered by the proposed packaging producer responsibility scheme, which is currently undergoing a second phase of consultation.
At the September roundtable on smoking-related litter, Pow encouraged parties to consider whether a nonregulatory producer responsibility scheme could be developed for tobacco waste products. Having considered further evidence, the government has decided that a regulatory approach may be required to ensure that the industry takes sufficient financial responsibility for the litter created by its products and to prevent them from undermining public health policy.
In August, Pow threatened the tobacco industry with tough action unless it did a better job of controlling cigarette litter.
March 31, 2021
Bidi Vapor Enters Four New Markets
Bidi Vapor successfully completed the regulatory process to enter four new, significant markets. Bidi Vapor’s primary offering, the Bidi Stick is a closed system disposable electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS).
Bidi Vapor recently successfully received premarket authorization from the United Kingdom’s regulatory body, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to sell and market Bidi Vapor products through Kaival Brands in the U.K.
Moreover, Bidi Vapor has successfully completed all necessary certifications and finished the process for distribution approvals to market and sell products in Russia, New Zealand and Australia.

Once Kaival Brands solidifies local distribution agreements, we will begin to sell and market our full scope of products.
Niraj Patel, CEO, Kaival Brands
“We are extremely excited to roll out Bidi Vapor products in four significant, new markets for us,” said Niraj Patel, Kaival Brands’ CEO, in a statement. “Once Kaival Brands solidifies local distribution agreements, we will begin to sell and market our full scope of products. We believe our first sales in each of these new regions will occur within the next six months with U.K. being the first.”
Kaival Brands will showcase its Bidi Stick at the VOXPO virtual trade show on April 28–30.
“We believe the Bidi Stick will be a welcomed entry into the U.K. market as long-time adult cigarette smokers look to transition to ENDS products,” said Patel, who is also president and CEO of Bidi Vapor.
“While the VOXPO conference is our first international show, we anticipate participating in similar events in Australia, New Zealand and Russia. We see ample opportunity in these new markets, as the success we’ve seen in the United States shows us that once consumers discover an e-cigarette that can provide them a consistent, premium experience, they will welcome the option.”
March 31, 2021
Bidders Ask Egypt to Adjust Terms of Auction

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Several tobacco manufacturers have asked the Federation of Egyptian Industries to change the conditions of a manufacturing license auction issued by the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), reports Zawya.
According to the companies, the IDA conditions protect Eastern Co.’s market share by preventing the new company from producing cigarettes at the same price point as the monopoly’s mass-market Cleopatra brand, which accounts for 98 percent of Eastern’s revenues.
On March 21, the tobacco manufacturer announced that the IDA has invited companies to the tobacco industry through tendering a new cigarette production license.
Eastern could own 24 percent of the to-be-established company without paying its share in the cost of the license.
The monopoly reported a 14 percent year-on-year increase in its net profit in the second half of 2020, recording EGP2.54 billion ($161.52 million).
Eastern company’s product portfolio includes cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and molasses tobacco as well as cigarette filter rods and homogenized tobacco.
March 30, 2021