Tobacco Firms Hail Ministry Decision to Stub Out Bad Ones

Source from:  By Ahmed A. Elewa and Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporters  09/07/2007

Tobacco companies have welcomed the Ministry of Economy's decision to order the withdrawal of 14 brands of cigarettes from the market because the packs give misleading information about the contents. "With the growing concern over illicit and counterfeit cigarettes in the UAE, the ministry issued a circular to all retail outlets in the country listing the brands that are misleading consumers," the ministry said in a statement. "Basically, the labels of cigarette packs state that the content is within the limits set forth by the government, yet tests have determined that they are deceiving smokers. The astounding fact is that in total these brands account for around 40 per cent of the cigarette market in the UAE," the statement said. Producers were not surprised by the ministry's decision, as they are already preparing to comply with the new specifications set by the Emirates Standardisation and Meteorology Authority (ESMA) that will take effect from September 29, requiring less tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide content. Recalled "We have already recalled our shipment this month, as we were not aware that the UAE is applying strict rules on the old standards. This is new for us as inspection of the set percentages was not active before," said Zainab Rashwan, director of the export sector at Egypt's Eastern Tobacco, the sole producer of cigarettes there. Eastern Tobacco, which exports three containers of cigarettes to the UAE every month, announced its commitment to the new specifications through cutting the rates of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide to the new required levels. Regulations Some prominent cigarette companies welcomed the move and demanded stricter regulations in the market. British American Tobacco Company said it was a very important decision. "We have been strictly maintaining standards. All market players in the market have to maintain the standards," said Donato Delvecchio, Director of corporate and Regulatory affairs. Philip Morris said it was a good move and welcomed the regulation of the tobacco market. "Our brands did not face action because we always maintained the standards," added Ruwaida Abu Ajram, Communication Manager of Philip Morris. Enditem