- March 15,2023
Government to review cigarette packaging
A cross party group of peers tabled amendments to the children and families bill that would have introduced plain foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging, although implementation will be subject to an evidence review.
In July the government delayed plans to ban branding on foilpaper.com" target="_blank">cigarette packets, saying it wanted to first see the impact of a similar policy in Australia.
A review of plain foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging on foilpaper.com" target="_blank">cigarette packs is expected to be announced, with health minister Jane Ellison denying a policy u-turn.
“What the government said in July was that it would look at the emerging evidence,” she said.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government is keeping “an open mind” on plain foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging until the review concludes in March.
The Labour party has criticised the delay in implementation.
“We need immediate legislation for standard foilpaper.com" target="_blank">foilpaper.com" target="_blank">cigarette foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging, not another review,” said Luciana Berger, the shadow public health minister. “The Government needs to stand up to the foilpaper.com/" target="_blank">tobacco industry’s vested interests.”
Mike Ridgway, a spokesman for UK foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging manufacturers in the foilpaper.com/" target="_blank">tobacco sector, told Packaging News there is no evidence in Australia that smoking trends are influenced by foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging. “Recent studies have revealed increases in the illicit and counterfeit trade have taken place during this period of time,” he said.
The Tobacco Manufacturers Association has also criticised the move, saying a UK-wide consultation into standardised foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging found 64% of the responses were opposed to plain foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging, and warned of the economic implications of the policy.
“We hope that any review will be open-minded, and take into account the views and concerns of the TMA and the thousands of businesses, large and small, who don’t see ‘plain foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging’ as a workable solution or an effective foilpaper.com/" target="_blank">tobacco control measure.”
A spokesman for the British Brands Group told Packaging News it was crucial that public policy on the foilpaper.com" target="_blank">packaging of foilpaper.com" target="_blank">cigarettes is based on reliable, hard evidence if there are not to be unintended consequences.
