Call for ‘measured action’ following consultation submission
CONVENIENCE channel leaders have called on the UK Government to have a measured response following the submission of the vaping display consultation on Friday 2 October.
The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) has called on Government officials to introduce coloured marks on packaging to help identify flavours as part of any new restrictions that could be introduced on the branding of vaping products.
The SGF has argued that the mover would help to support adults to quit smoking and move over to a vaping device, as well as offer customer clarity within the category and cut down on any potential frustration over selecting certain flavours or products.
Further to this, the industry body has said that placing these products behind shutters is a step too far and that tighter restrictions could risk fuelling the illicit trade.
As part of the body’s submission to the consultation, the SGF stated: “There are concerns that any limitations on flavours could reverse the progress that has been made toward government’s own aim for a smoke-free generation.
“It is commonly recognised that flavour is a critical characteristic of vaping products which helps stop smokers who wish to quit from lapsing back to cigarettes.
“Smokers who wish to quit will often start by using tobacco/non flavoured vapes and quickly move on to other flavours, such as fruit flavoured options. Likewise, our understanding is that over two thirds of former smokers prefer fruit, mint and non-tobacco flavours and a similar percentage say that vapes helped them reduce or stop smoking.”
Echoing this sentiment, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) has responded to the consultation by writing directly to health secretary Yvette Cooper which highlighted its own misgivings around the cost of disruption of placing vapes behind a display screen.
The Fed also expressed its concern about the scope and variety of changes that store owners could be facing as part of the large consultation and has called on the government to engage with retailers and provide sufficient preparation time for any incoming changes.
Hemanshu Patel, national president at the Fed, said: “Our members are local and responsible retailers. We also know our customers well and fully acknowledge concern about youth vaping.
“To that end, we already back measures to prevent children accessing vapes by proscribing under-18 access and through initiatives like Challenge 25.
“We have also been vocal supporters of recent government work to boost local authority trading standards with extra resources, as we feel this is important for enforcing effective age restrictions and for clamping down on the black market rogue trade.
“However, as our consultation response has said, we have concerns that placing vapes behind a shutter blind will limit consumer awareness and create obstacles for our shops, alongside unease about the introduction of plain vape packaging.”
