Role of packaging in the cigarette industry:

Tobacco packaging plays a key role in the tobacco industry. Best quality tobacco cigarettes lay stress on functional, aesthetic, and advertising aspects of cigarette packaging. It preserves the taste and aroma of the product while it travels along the supply chain to reach the final consumer. Apart from that, it is a mode of communication between the seller and buyer. For point-of-sale display, packaging serves as an important brand element. Moreover, it instills a sense of brand loyalty for the user.

International cigarette labeling standards:

While cigarette manufacturers try to make appealing packaging to boost sales, health regulatory authorities maintain that such efforts distract the user from smoking hazards. Hence, international organizations such as WHO and others have come together to spell out the international cigarette labeling standards. These pertain to warning labels, their size, and their location on the pack. Here is everything you need to know about the international cigarette labeling standards.

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Health warning labels about hazards of tobacco consumption:

Hazards of smoking are not concealed from anyone. However, premium packaging aimed to make the product appear desirable subsides the harmful impact of tobacco consumption. It makes the product look trendy and fascinating, especially for the younger generation so they ignore health-related consequences. That is why it is cigarette labeling standards make it compulsory to mention the trigger warnings effectively so they may be embedded in the consumer’s mind.

While people are aware of the harmful impact of smoking, they may not fully realize the extent of danger it inflicts on the body. Hence, it is part of responsible marketing and selling that the seller informs about the danger through packaging. Research indicates a positive impact of such warnings on limiting cigarette consumption, especially for younger people. They play a vital role in helping people quit smoking.

International standards about cigarette packaging:

International standards to regulate tobacco products have several requirements. These include restricted packaging, inclusion of graphical warnings, prohibiting misleading descriptions, and others. Some countries, especially the developing ones abide by lesser of these requirements. On the other hand, developed countries fare much better in abiding by international standards about cigarette packing. The warnings should be effective enough to share the risks associated with cigarette consumption. Also, it should motivate the consumer to quit smoking. Taking a step further, in some countries the communication messages include leads to cessation services. Here are some guidelines on how to make effective health warnings: –

  • Abide by legal requirements regarding the font size and placement of the warning message.
  • Place attention-grabbing colored pictures about the hazardous consequences. This requirement is particularly important for countries with low literacy rates. This is also effective in discouraging smoking among children.
  • The trigger warnings must cover at least 50% of the main faces of the pack, especially the top face.
  • Mention the warnings in local languages.
  • A comprehensive message to include all of the different harmful consequences of tobacco use. The common messages include: –
  1. Addiction
  2. Lung cancer
  3. Heart diseases
  4. Pregnancy and lactating women warning
  • Multiple rotating pack warnings in the local language to reinforce the essence of the message. The warning message must cover at least 30% of the main display area and the recommendation message must cover at least 50% of the area.
  • Misleading messages such as “low tar”, “light” and “mild” and any other description to hint that the product is less harmful.
  • Inclusion of information about constituents and emissions.

Plain packaging:

Flashy and attractive packaging makes the product appealing. International cigarette labeling standards also advocate that manufacturers keep the packaging plain. Plain packaging requires only the brand name in standard color and font along with health warnings. In the EU and the UK, plain packs became part of the standard packaging legislation in 2016. It also requires the presence of a health warning on at least 65% of the pack area. Another important requirement of the international cigarette labeling standards is to have a smaller pack size. Research indicates that reducing packet size curbs smoking levels considerably.

As the world is moving towards greater accountability and responsible decision-making, cigarette manufacturers need to take all the cigarette labeling standards and requirements into consideration before designing the packaging.