Tobacco firms accused of using gimmicks to subvert plain packaging

Tobacco companies have been accused of undermining plain packaging laws by introducing gimmicks that ensure their cigarettes stand out from rival products but do not breach regulations.

A report in the British Medical Journal’s BMJ Open publication found that global tobacco companies adopted subtle marketing techniques to replace traditional cigarette branding, which was banned in the UK in 2016.

One of the MPs who pioneered the legislation said ministers should consider tightening up the law to eliminate loopholes detailed in the report, written by academics at the University of Bath.

Researchers found that tobacco companies initially ramped up production before a one-year “sell-through” period, during which retailers were allowed to keep selling their remaining branded packs. This had the effect of keeping the older packs on sale for as as long as possible, maximising brand exposure in the run-up to May 2017, when they could no longer be sold.