One change that could help would be to add labels to cigarette packages that directly help people quit smoking. That is what is required under the FDA law to regulate tobacco products." "The changed color schemes are a modification to the product that needs to be evaluated in terms of how this might impact public health by attracting news users and delaying quitting by current users. ![]() "The color schemes mislead consumers regarding the safety, taste, and performance of the products and thus should be altered," says Cummings. Michael Cummings, PhD, MPH, chairman and professor of oncology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., have called on the government to take more action in this area. Other prominent quit-smoking experts, such as K. "The cigarette manufacturers advertise their products with attractive and appealing packaging in an effort to engage new consumers and maintain their current consumers." "As with any product being marketed, packaging is developed to be attractive and appealing to the consumer," says Pat Folan, RN, the director of the North Shore-LIJ Center for Tobacco Control in Great Neck, N.Y. As a result, most smoking cessation experts agree that they do very little to encourage people to quit smoking. In a separate study of 193 smokers, the smokers who were the most concerned about overall health, tar levels, and nicotine levels chose the whitest cigarette packages as the safest options.Īs these studies show, the perceptions of both smokers and nonsmokers have changed very little, despite the absence of words like light and mild. For example, in a 2011 study of 197 smokers and 200 nonsmokers who were shown different cigarette packages at random, the participants selected the lighter-colored packages as the ones that had less tar, a smoother taste, and a lower health risk compared to the darker-colored packages. Though the words that might prevent people from quitting smoking are gone, research has shown that the perception of these new cigarette packages is the same. For example, now blue, gold, and silver are typically reserved for the supposedly milder products, while red is used for traditional cigarettes and the color green for menthol cigarettes. In many cases, cigarette manufacturers have responded by simply removing the banned words from their cigarette packages and letting the colors do the talking. In reality, all cigarettes are equally dangerous. Words like "light," "mild," and "low" lulled consumers into thinking that these cigarettes were safer than regular cigarettes, keeping them from trying to quit smoking. The FDA made this switch due to safety concerns. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had just banned the use of words like "light," "mild," and "low" on cigarette packages. Similar changes affected other brands of cigarettes like Camel Light and Marlboro Ultra Light. What was previously known as a "Marlboro Light," for example, became a Marlboro Gold Pack. 27.In the summer of 2010, most smokers noticed a change in familiar cigarette packages. The tobacco companies have 15 days to respond. ![]() The FDA’s letter to ITG also noted how the advertising of Winston cigarettes must adhere to the provisions of a consent order from another federal agency, the FTC, that requires some ads include the disclaimer: “No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean safer.” public from the harmful effects of tobacco use.” “This action is a milestone, and a reminder of how we use the tools of science-based regulation to protect the U.S. “The FDA’s job is to ensure tobacco products are not marketed in a way that leads consumers to believe cigarettes with descriptors like ‘additive-free’ and ‘natural’ pose fewer health risks than other cigarettes, unless the claims have been scientifically supported,” said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. It was one of three warning letters that the agency shipped out last month to cigarette companies whose products are labeled “additive-free,” “natural” or both. (See other warning letters here and here.) ![]() The August warning letter to ITG marked the first time the FDA has used its authority under a 2009 tobacco-control law to take action against a company for making “additive-free” claims on product packaging. The FDA has warned ITG Brands, the makers of Winston cigarettes, that labeling the product as “additive-free” violates federal law because the claim implies that the cigarettes are safer than other brands.Ĭompanies must obtain a modified risk tobacco product order from the FDA to market their cigarettes as safer than other brands and the agency says it has yet to issue any such orders.
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