Sainsburys and Morrisons told to quit tobacco ads
UK Government requests Sainsbury’s and Morrisons supermarkets to halt advertising and promotion of heated tobacco products.
The UK government has made a request to Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, instructing them to discontinue the promotion and advertisement of heated tobacco products.
As reported by the BBC, this move is due to an alleged breach of legal standards set to regulate the marketing of such products. Both supermarkets stated that they perceived their advertising strategies to be entirely lawful.
Defining Tobacco Products
The issue arises from a law instated by the Labor government under Tony Blair in 2002. This law aimed to restrict tobacco advertising and defined a tobacco product as anything designed to be “smoked, sniffed, sucked or chewed”.
Morrisons claims this law isn’t applicable to heated tobacco products since they don’t produce smoke.
Supermarkets’ Stance
BBC reported sightings of heated tobacco device promotions, specifically Philip Morris International’s (PMI) iQos, within various Morrisons and Sainsbury’s stores. Both supermarkets remain in contact with government representatives regarding this matter.
Health Risks & Public Awareness
Surveys orchestrated by Action on Smoking and Health note a marked increase in awareness of heated tobacco products, particularly among young adult viewers. The data highlight an alarming rise from 7.1% in 2022 to nearly 25% among 11 to 17-year-olds.
Government Intervention
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) specified in its letter to supermarkets that the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 applies to all tobacco products present in the market. The department re-emphasised that all tobacco products pose a risk to health.
Comment by Allen Carr’s Easyway
It is sad to see such big companies defending Big Tobacco and not thinking of the marketing to all including young people.
It underlines the importance that legislation needs to be clear and allow for future products by not being so narrow in focus. In doing that all that happens is that these companies find loopholes and continue to sell. This has already been seen in the recent disposable vape ban where companies just made the same products but “refillable”.
