Packaging and labelling of tobacco products
Packaging and labelling of tobacco products
Overview
Cigarette brands and packaging are central to the marketing activities of the tobacco industry. Many governments worldwide have taken action to regulate them. Because tobacco packaging is now the most ubiquitous form of tobacco advertising the Government has passed legislation to ban the display of tobacco products in retail outlets. This is due to be phased in from October 2011.
In the 1970s tobacco companies developed “low tar” cigarettes and branded them with terms such as “light” and “mild”. Many people wrongly believed that these cigarettes were less harmful to health than higher tar cigarettes. This tactic helped to recruit smokers and to stop people from quitting.
A 20-a-day cigarette smoker sees health warnings more than 7,000 times a year. There is evidence that bigger and bolder health warnings encourage smokers to quit, and that including pictures increases the impact. Several countries have already introduced pictorial warnings.
In the UK, “light” and “mild” descriptors have been banned since 2003, and pictorial health warnings will be compulsory from October 2008. Although not mandatory, it is expected that many other EU Member States will follow the lead of Belgium and the UK and introduce pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging.
Article 11 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control requires nations that have ratified the treaty to ban the use of misleading descriptors like “light” and “mild”, and introduce health warnings taking up a minimum of 30% of the main display area of the packaging. These measures should be introduced within three years of a Party ratifying the Convention. Formal guidelines were adopted at the Conference of the Parties in November 2008.
ASH submission to Government consultation on picture warnings (pdf file)
ASH Webpage on Product Regulation and Labelling
ASH Research Report: Review of the implementation of the Tobacco Product Regulation Directive 2001/37/EC (pdf file)
ASH Briefing Plain Packaging (pdf file)
Current Key Texts
Hammond D, Dockrell M, Arnott D, Lee A, Anderson S, McNeill A. The impact of cigarette pack design on perceptions of risk among UK adult and youth: evidence in support of plain packaging regulations. EJPH, 2009. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckp122 (pdf file)
Hammond D, Fong GT, Borland R et al (2007) Text and Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Packages. Findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Study American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 32(3): 202–209
Devlin E, Anderson S, Hastings G, Macfadyen L (2005) Targeting smokers via tobacco product labelling: opportunities and challenges for Pan European health promotion. Health Promotion International 20(1):41-9
D Hammond D, GT Fong GT, PW McDonald et al (2003) Impact of the Graphic Canadian Warning Labels on Adult Smoking Behaviour Tobacco Control 12(4): 391-395
Other Seminal Texts
Pollay RW, Dewhirst T (2002) The dark side of marketing seemingly "Light" cigarettes: successful images and failed fact. Tobacco Control 11(I):i18–31
Canadian Cancer Society and International Union Against Cancer (2001) Controlling the Tobacco Epidemic: Selected Evidence in Support of Banning All Tobacco Advertising and Promotion, and Requiring Large, Picture-Based Health Warnings on Tobacco Packages. Ottawa: Canadian Cancer Society, International Union Against Cancer, 2001 (Word document)
Useful websites
UK Government webpage with links to the picture warnings chosen for the UK.
Physicians for a Smokefree Canada
Canadian NGO site with links to picture health warnings in several countries.
Tobacco Control Supersite: Picture gallery
University of Sydney site including pictures of picture health warnings from around the world.
Further information
European Directive on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products (2002)
In its tobacco control strategy document – ‘A Smokefree Future’ – the UK Government pledged to review the case for plain packaging. (p39)
