Retailers advised on identifying illegal e-cigarette products.

As a large number of illegal electronic cigarette products flood the market, it is crucial for retailers to be aware of the giveaway signs of these illicit products.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has updated its reliable guidance on selling e-cigarettes, providing retailers with information on how to distinguish genuine products from illegal ones.

The guidelines emphasize some key areas, including:

注意一次性设备包装上标注的口数。若数量超过约 600，其将无法通过检查并不得在英国市场销售。此外，若包装正反面未标示相应警示信息达到 30%，其同样不得在英国市场销售。英国相关法律规定，包装警示只允许使用一句短语：“本产品含有尼古丁，为高度上瘾物质”，不得使用其他措辞。如有违规行为，该产品将不得在英国市场销售。

The new "E-cigarette Sales Responsibility Guidelines" contain all the information retailers need to know to identify legal products, as well as age verification policies that should be implemented to ensure products are only sold to those legally allowed to purchase them.

The guidelines suggest that retailers use the successful Challenge 25 policy to sell e-cigarettes in their stores. While primarily used for alcohol and tobacco sales, ACS encourages retailers to use Challenge 25 for all age-restricted sales as it provides consistency for colleagues and customers.

This guide is a part of the ACS Assured Advice scheme, which has the support of the Surrey and Buckinghamshire trading standards. The Assured Advice means that if you follow the guidelines, law enforcement officials must respect your in-store procedures, regardless of whether you are in England or Wales. This is particularly useful for businesses that have shops in multiple local authority areas where legal interpretations may vary significantly.

James Lowman, CEO of the Association of Convenience Stores, stated in the release of a new guide: "The electronic cigarette category has grown significantly in recent years, but along with this growth, the number of illegal e-cigarettes on the market has also increased dramatically. These products are at best unregulated and at worst, extremely dangerous because they can pose a fire risk due to faulty battery components and cannot be controlled in terms of the ingredients in their e-liquids.

A recent investigation by the Association of Convenience Stores found that nearly two-thirds (61%) of trade standards officials in England and Wales believe they don't have enough funds to tackle the illegal e-cigarette and tobacco markets.

Lowman added, "With our updated e-cigarette guide, retailers now have all the tools they need to identify illegal products and report them to local trading standards enforcement teams. However, this must be accompanied by providing additional resources to law enforcement officials in order to effectively address the issue.

Statement:

This article is compiled from third-party information and is intended only for industry exchange and learning.

This article does not represent the views of 2FIRSTS, and 2FIRSTS cannot confirm the veracity or accuracy of the article's content. The compilation of this article is intended solely for industry exchange and research purposes.

Due to limitations in translation skills, the translated article may not fully express the original text. Please refer to the original text for accuracy.

2FIRSTS maintains complete alignment with the Chinese government on all domestic, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and foreign-related expressions and positions.

The compilation of information is copyrighted by the original media and authors. If there is any infringement, please contact us to request deletion.