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Tag: display

  • Taiwan Allows Display of Legal Heated-Tobacco Devices

    Taiwan Allows Display of Legal Heated-Tobacco Devices

    Today (October 24), Taiwan’s Health Minister Shih Chung-liang said that licensed retailers may display legal heated tobacco devices to help consumers distinguish them from illegal products. The clarification follows earlier confusion from last week when the HPA incorrectly announced all displays were banned. Shih noted that the approved devices have passed safety and design reviews to avoid enticing youth, and retailers are allowed to use displays that show the brand and prices, but should not “promote” them. The ministry is also considering requiring warning labels on heating device packaging.

    Taiwan legalized heated tobacco in March 2023, with the first batch of 14 products and four component devices approved for sale in October 2025.

  • Belgium Tobacco Display Ban Goes into Effect

    Belgium Tobacco Display Ban Goes into Effect

    Belgium’s new laws to limit the visibility of cigarettes and other nicotine products, with the hope of curbing impulse purchases, went into effect yesterday (April 1). Cigarettes and other tobacco products can no longer be displayed in shops and stores larger than 400 square meters are banned from selling such products altogether. This is the second phase of a program that included the ban of disposable e-cigarettes beginning Jan. 1.

    “Our ambition is to have a smoke-free generation by 2040,” said Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. “From now on, it is illegal to have cigarettes or vapes on display, that is visible, in a store. It is not a prohibition on buying this stuff. You can buy it, but you have to ask the vendor.”

    No specific guidance or material on how to handle tobacco products was provided to retailers. Each shop has had to find its own solution to the display ban, from handmade plastic curtains to sophisticated shelves that automatically light up when opened.

    “It is annoying because the government hasn’t given us any supply,” said news and tobacco shop owner Jenny Van Vaerenbergh. “They should have provided the necessary equipment.”