Tobacco manufacturers defend colourful designs in plain-pack debate

Researchers at the universities of Nottingham, UK, and Waterloo, Canada, and charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) said plain packs “significantly reduced false beliefs” about the health risks and ease of quitting, and were less attractive and appealing for young people trying smoking.

“Current regulations have failed to remove potentially misleading information from tobacco packaging,” the researchers concluded after surveying 1,300 people in the UK.

But TMA chief executive Christopher Ogden hit back that plain packaging was not based on any compelling evidence, as research was based on asking people what they would do in certain situation and assumed that changes in packaging might change people’s behaviour.

“Plain packaging would prevent tobacco manufacturers from providing consumers with information about products that are legally available in retail outlets,” he said.

Ash research manager Amanda Sandford said packaging was now the main form of tobacco promotion and said plain packaging would be a first step to stop misleading information.

“We are hoping the government will ban tobacco products from display,” she said.

Some 516 adult smokers and 800 youths aged between 11 and 17 took part in an online survey. They were asked to compare five pairs of cigarette packs on taste, tar delivery, health risk and attractiveness.

Additionally, adults were asked to say which was easier to quit smoking. The youths were asked which one they preferred if trying smoking.

The results are published in the European Journal of Public Health.

Click here for more analysis of the debate on cigarette packaging.

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