Category: News This Week

  • Virtual Conference for Snus Enthusiasts

    Virtual Conference for Snus Enthusiasts

    This year’s Snus Con will take place virtually Oct. 19-24.

    The event will feature pre-recorded interviews with an option for participants to interact.

    Each video will be broadcast at a specific time via YouTube’s Premier feature. When the interviews go live, there will be a chat box available so visitors can watch along and chat with peers.

    This year’s interviewees include Nihar Dholakia, director of next-generation products at Dholakia Tobacco; Bengt Wiberg of Wiberg Solutions and snus maker Conny Anderson.

  • Kit Dietz Joins Taat Board of Advisers

    Kit Dietz Joins Taat Board of Advisers

    Kit Dietz (Photo: Taat Lifestyle & Wellness)

    Taat Lifestyle & Wellness has appointed Kit Dietz to its board of advisors.

    Dietz has more than three decades of experience in the convenience wholesale industry, including top management roles with well-known convenience channel distributors in the northern United States. Dietz also served on the board of directors of Lorillard, leading up to its $27.4 billion acquisition in June 2015.

    More recently, Dietz became President of InfoRhythm, a business data analytics firm for retail and wholesale businesses and their respective supply chains providing prescriptive data-driven insights to CPG companies, convenience distributors, and retailers.

    Based out of northern Ohio, Dietz presently advises CPG companies and top management of distribution firms using his extensive knowledge of the convenience channel at a granular level.

    “We are excited for Kit Dietz to join Taat as an advisor, just in time for our mid-Q4 2020 launch in Ohio,” said Taat CEO Setti Coscarella in a statement.

    “With an advisor such as Mr. Dietz who understands how convenience products such as tobacco are distributed in and near our launch market, I am confident that we will be able to benefit from his market-specific experience to establish the right margins, the right partnerships, and the right analytics models to make calculated and informed business decisions as we contemplate possible expansions into new markets.”

  • JT Approves Domestic Burley for Consumption

    JT Approves Domestic Burley for Consumption

    Japan Tobacco (JT) has cleared this year’s burley harvest in Japan for use in its cigarettes.

    Since the accident at the Tepco Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011, JT has been conducting pre-purchase radioactive material tests of domestic leaf tobacco and several other tests at each stage of its production process.

    Tests for this year’s burley have now been completed. None of the leaf tobacco had traces of radioactive material exceeding the JT standard value (radioactive cesium: 100Bq/kg), the company confirmed in a statement.

    JT will continue with its scheme of testing domestic leaf tobacco after purchase, to test and monitor at each stage of the productions process several times.

    In related news, JT announced that it will discontinue disclosure of pre-purchase test results for domestic leaf tobacco after this report (2020).

    Recently, in radioactive material testing on agricultural products conducted by Fukushima Prefecture and other prefectures, there have been virtually no cases where the traces of radioactive material exceeded the standard values, and the company’s survey is on the decline.

    In addition, no cases exceeding JT standard value have been observed in the company’s test results.

    JT will continue with its scheme of testing domestic leaf tobacco upon purchase.

  • BAT Appoints New Chairman

    BAT Appoints New Chairman

    Photo: BAT

    Luc Jobin will succeed Richard Burrows as chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT). This will take effect from the conclusion of the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) on April 28, 2021. In order to ensure an effective transition of the leadership of the board, Jobin will be appointed chairman designate of BAT effective March 1, 2021.

    Jobin is currently an independent director on the boards of Gildan Activewear and Hydro-Quebec. He joined the BAT board in 2017 as an independent nonexecutive director. During his executive career, he was president and CEO of Canadian National Railway Co., prior to which he was executive vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, Jobin was executive vice president of Power Corp. of Canada and held the roles of chief financial officer and, between 2003 and 2005, CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada.

    Richard Burrows

    Burrows will step down as chairman and retire from the board at the end of the company’s 2021 AGM.

    “I am delighted that the board has appointed Luc as the incoming chairman for BAT,” said Burrows in a statement. “Luc brings with him significant financial, regulatory and M&A experience. He has been an outstanding nonexecutive director over the last three years, providing consistent support, insight and constructive challenge through the development of strategy. I am sure that BAT will go from strength to strength with Luc as chairman and Jack Bowles as chief executive officer.”

  • Misperceptions About Risk Drive Down Vaping

    Misperceptions About Risk Drive Down Vaping

    Photo: Vchalup – Dreamstime.com

    The number of vapers in the U.K. declined by 400,000 since last year, despite mounting evidence that e-cigarettes are effective smoking-cessation aids, according to a study commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

    The Health Charity blames a “misguided belief vaping is just as harmful as cigarettes.”

    “About a third of smokers have never even tried an e-cigarette, and less than 20 percent are currently using one,” said Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH, in a statement. “If many more smokers could be encouraged to give e-cigarettes a go, the latest evidence indicates that many more might successfully quit.”

    Only 39 percent of smokers in the country believe vaping is less harmful than smoking combustible cigarettes.

    This year, there were 3.2 million e-cigarette users in the country, down from 3.6 million in 2019.

    A review conducted by Cochrane suggests vaping could help more people stop smoking.
     
    “There is now evidence that electronic cigarettes with nicotine are likely to increase the chances of quitting [smoking] successfully compared to nicotine gum or patches,” said Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, an expert at the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group who co-led the review.
     
    The review included evidence from 50 studies around the world.
     
    There was no clear evidence of serious harm resulting from nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, but since the review used a relatively small number of studies, the evidence is still uncertain.
     
    “Scientific consensus holds that electronic cigarettes are considerably less harmful than traditional cigarettes but are not risk-free,” Hartmann-Boyce said.

  • ITGA Announces Annual Meeting

    ITGA Announces Annual Meeting

    The International Tobacco Growers’ Association will hold its annual meeting Nov. 18-20, 2020.

    Speakers include President Abiel M. Kalima Banda, Chief Executive Antonio Abrunhosa, tobacco industry expert Ivan Genov and Shane MacGuill, head of tobacco research at Euromonitor International.

    The gathering will take place virtually and registration will be available shortly here.

  • Patent Granted for Nicotine Reduction

    Patent Granted for Nicotine Reduction

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    22nd Century Group has been granted a new U.S. patent related to the reduction of nicotine in the tobacco plant. The new technology provides 22nd Century with a rapid pathway to introduce very low nicotine traits into virtually any variety of tobacco, including bright, burley, oriental, and cigar tobacco varieties.

    “We are very pleased to receive this patent which reflects the ingenuity and expertise of our talented scientific team,” said James A. Mish, chief executive officer of 22nd Century Group in a statement. “This new technology allows us to reduce nicotine in any tobacco variety.

    “Importantly, this breakthrough further demonstrates that the FDA’s comprehensive plan for tobacco and nicotine regulation to limit the nicotine content of all cigarettes sold in the United States is technically feasible and at the same time refutes the claim from Big Tobacco that such low nicotine levels cannot be achieved in multiple tobacco varieties,” he added.

    “I am proud of the significant R&D gains we continue to make as we work to achieve our mission to reduce the harm caused by smoking and seek to significantly disrupt the $100 billion U.S. and the $800 billion global tobacco industries with our proprietary reduced nicotine tobacco products.”

    The new patent and allowed claims, published as U.S. Patent No. 10,669,552 and entitled “Up-regulation of auxin response factor NbTF7 to decrease nicotine in a plant,” cover methods of manipulating plant metabolism and alkaloid levels by controlling transcription factor NbTF7, which regulates the nicotinic alkaloid biosynthetic pathway. The patent enables the company’s use of next-generation gene modification technologies that afford greater flexibility for genetic control over nicotine levels in virtually any variety of the tobacco plant.

    22nd Century is preparing for the launch of VLN, its proprietary reduced nicotine content tobacco cigarettes containing 95 percent less nicotine than conventional counterparts. Pending the FDA’s authorization of the company’s Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) application, VLN would be the first and only combustible cigarette to receive a MRTP designation, according to 22nd Century.

     

  • Irish Health Body Calls for Flavor Ban

    Irish Health Body Calls for Flavor Ban

    Photo: Ldprod – Dreamstime.com

    The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) has called for a ban on all flavorings for e-liquids available for purchase in Ireland, reports the Irish Medical Times. The group says its goal is to protect children from the device that simulates tobacco smoking.

    The RCPI Policy Group on Tobacco wants to prohibit all liquid flavorings, apart from tobacco flavor. The group is also calling for increased regulation and future taxation on e-cigarettes.

    A review into e-cigarette use by Ireland’s Health Research Board found that e-cigarettes were associated with adolescents starting to smoke tobacco cigarettes, which could potentially lead to serious harm.

    “These findings have important public health ramifications and do not support recommending e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool,” said Des Cox, chair of the RCPI Policy Group on Tobacco.

    The board recommended that people use nicotine replacement therapies and/or medications prescribed by their general practitioner instead of e-cigarettes when trying to quit smoking.

  • Pyxus Appoints New Board Members

    Pyxus Appoints New Board Members

    Pyxus International has appointed Robert George, Carl Hausmann, Cynthia Moehring and Richard Topping to its board of directors effective Oct. 12, 2020. These individuals join previously announced board members Holly Kim, Patrick Fallonand Pieter Sikkel. 

    “The addition of the new members to Pyxus’ board of directors is a key milestone in its transformation strategy,” said Sikkel, who also serves as president and CEO of Pyxus, in a statement. “We believe this mix of directors brings proven financial and operational track records and diverse perspectives that will contribute to Pyxus’ future success, and we look forward to working with this group of proven leaders to accelerate the company’s growth.”

    George brings extensive financial and operational experience in public, private and private equity-backed diversified industrial businesses. Most recently, he served as executive vice president, chief financial officer and corporate development for Esterline Technologies. Prior to joining Esterline, George held various leadership positions with Zurn Industries and Elgin Electronics. He is a member of the board of directors of Advanced Integration Technology.

    Hausmann brings more than 35 years of experience in the agribusiness and food industries. He retired in June 2012 as managing director of global government and corporate affairs of Bunge Limited, having spent a decade serving in executive roles with Bunge affiliates in North America and Europe. Prior to joining Bunge, Hausmann served as chair and CEO of Cereol and  held various leadership positions with Continental Grain Co. in Europe, South America, Africa and the United States. Following his retirement from Bunge, Hausmann served as a member of the board of directors of Pyxus International’s predecessor, Alliance One International, from June 2013 to August 2018.

    Moehring is the founder and executive chair of the Business Integrity Leadership Initiative at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business. She brings more than 25 years of experience as a strategic senior executive, including 20 years at Walmart where she served as senior vice president, U.S. chief ethics and compliance officer and senior vice president, global chief ethics officer, among other leadership positions. She has broad experience in many areas, including enterprise risk management, effective global governance practices, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, diversity and inclusion and sustainability.

    Topping has four decades of experience in the tobacco industry. He has held a variety of global leadership positions throughout the supply chain, working with both tobacco leaf merchants and cigarette manufacturers. He most recently worked with Japan Tobacco International and its predecessor companies and served as vice president of global leaf sourcing prior to retiring in June 2018. Topping has wide-ranging global expertise, from both the merchant and cigarette manufacturer perspective, in leaf sourcing and procurement strategies, logistics, operations and sales throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

  • John Casteen Retires from Altria Board

    John Casteen Retires from Altria Board

    Photo: Altria Group

    John T. Casteen III, a director of Altria Group since 2010, will retire from service on Altria’s board of directors following the completion of his current term.

    Casteen will not stand for re-election to the board of directors at Altria’s 2021 annual meeting of shareholders, which is presently anticipated to be held on May 20, 2021.

    “Altria has benefited from John’s significant contributions over the past ten years,” said Tom Farrell, Altria’s independent board chairman in a statement. “We thank him for his distinguished service and wish him the very best.”

    Casteen is a member of the audit, compensation and talent development and innovation committees. He became president emeritus of the University of Virginia in August 2010 after having served as president of the university since 1990.

    Previously, Casteen served as secretary of education for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1982 to 1985 and president of the University of Connecticut from 1985 to 1990. He is a director of Strategic Education. He also serves as a director of the Leifur Eiriksson Foundation, the Institute for Shipboard Education (Semester at Sea) and Echo360.