Four tobacco companies were the recipients of FDA warning letters for the sale of flavored cigarettes. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
+ Regulatory
Jeff Gantt | Dec 15, 2016

FDA issues warning letters over flavored cigarettes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently sent warning letters to four tobacco manufacturers concerning the sale of flavored cigarettes labeled as little cigars or cigars.

The sale of flavored cigarettes is a violation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The four companies that received letters from the FDA were Swisher International Inc., Cheyenne International LLC, Prime Time International Co. and Southern Cross Tobacco Company Inc.

“Flavored cigarettes appeal to kids and disguise the bad taste of tobacco, but they are just as addictive as regular tobacco products and have the same harmful health effects,” FDA Center for Tobacco Products Mitch Zeller said. “Because about 90 percent of adult daily smokers smoked their first cigarette by the age of 18, continued enforcement of the ban on cigarettes with characterizing flavors is vital to protect future generations from a lifetime of addiction.”

The Tobacco Control Act was passed by Congress in 2009. It bans cigarettes that contain characterizing flavors -- which include candy and fruit flavors -- in an effort to decrease the number of youths from smoking, which usually leads to tobacco addiction.

This provision has been enforced by the FDA since 2009.

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