![]() ![]() The UK cigarette market, is dominated by two tobacco companies, Imperial Tobacco (Imperial Brands) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI). Any future amendments to UK legislation will be made by the UK government. The 2016 TPD, which included the menthol and flavours ban, was transposed into UK law and remains in place in the UK. The UK was part of the EU until 31 January 2020. The ITC figures are supported by 2018 Euromonitor data, which show that the combined market share of menthol and capsules was generally higher in northern European countries, with the highest in Poland, at over 25%, followed by the UK, at over 20%. 10įigure 1: Prevalence of flavour of cigarettes smoked (usual brand of choice) in 2016 (%).(Source: EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys) 10 The International Tobacco Control (ITC) survey in 2016 (n=10,000 adult smokers, in 8 European countries) found that the countries with the highest menthol use were England (over 12% of smokers) and Poland (10%) the lowest levels were observed in Germany and Spain (Figure 1). 9 Menthol and capsule market share has tended to be higher for European countries outside the EU. 8 The relative shares of menthol flavoured cigarettes versus those with capsules (menthol and other flavours) varied while the market share for capsules exceeded the share for menthol flavoured tobacco in half of EU countries, in others the capsule share was very low or non-existent. Prior to the 2020 ban, Euromonitor analysis estimated the whole European menthol market to be worth around EU€9.7 billion (US$11 billion, nearly UK£8.5 billion). exemption for most products (as the ban was only applicable to cigarettes – factory made and roll your own) and accessories.Weaknesses of the EU menthol ban which could be exploited by industry included: 5 6 7 3 While retailers were allowed a year to sell existing stocks of other flavours, the phase-out period for menthol was extended for a further three years, and came into force across the EU in May 2020. Background Regulation and Interference on Flavour in the EU and UKĪn EU-wide ban on the sale of flavoured cigarettes was introduced in May 2016, including menthol, under the 2014 revised European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), with a May 2016 deadline for EU countries to transpose the TPD into national law. 1 2 This page details regulation and interference in the EU in the pre and post the 2020 menthol ban.įor information on the global menthol market, and regulation and interference in other countries see Flavoured and Menthol Tobacco. Regulation of flavours that make smoking more palatable is recommended by the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC). In its submissions to the EU, the tobacco industry is minimising the harm caused by flavoured additives by focusing on toxicity rather than addiction.Menthol ban websites promoted newer products, mainly heated tobacco and e-cigarettes.There are early indications that this has prolonged menthol use post-ban. Tobacco companies, led by JTI and Imperial, were able to exploit the challenges of determining ‘characterising’ flavour, and the omission of cigarillos and accessories from the ban.Unlike other EU countries, menthol’s share of the market grew in Poland and the UK after the ban was announced in 2016.Menthol had an estimated 20% of the UK cigarette market, in which Imperial Brands and JTI dominate. Prior to the ban menthol use was highest in England and Poland.Tobacco companies exploited weaknesses in the ban: the focus on characterising flavours rather than flavour ingredients product exemptions and a long phase-in period. The EU menthol ban came into force in May 2020. ![]() Philip Morris’s Mr Nixon also said The Irish Times had added to market confusion in a previous report on the subject: “The Irish Times claimed that we justified Marlboro Bright’s compliance because ‘the cigarette doesn’t taste of menthol when it is smoked’. The market here for menthol cigarettes was €250 million prior to the ban. The Health Service Execcutive has told The Irish Times it is investigating if any tobacco companies are in breach of the menthol ban. JTI has previously acknowledged that it still adds menthol during the manufacturing process but it insists this is legal as long as the additive does not result in a characterising smell or taste in the cigarettes other than tobacco. Japan Tobacco International, which makes Silk Cut, has also previously insisted that its new brand in Ireland, Silk Cut Choice Green, is in compliance. Philip Morris insisted the new brand is in full legal compliance with the ban. ![]() It declined to directly address repeated questions as to why the phrase “menthol blend” was used in the advertisement in the first place. ![]()
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