Only 67% of cigarette packets display health pictorial warnings in India

Only 67% of cigarette packets display health pictorial warnings in India
The mandatory 85-per-cent-pictorial warning is displayed by only 67% cigarette packs in India.

For bidi packs, it said as little as 16 per cent of those displayed a pictorial and text health warning label that covered 85 per cent of the principal display area of the pack. ‘Forty-six per cent of the smokeless tobacco packs displayed a pictorial and text health warning label that covered 85 per cent of the principal display area of both sides of the pack,’ the study said. Among the cigarette brands found implementing the norms are Bristol, Gold Flake, Navy Cut, B&H Classic, Flake, Capstan, India Kings, Berkley, Players, Scissors and Duke, among others. The smokeless tobacco brands which have implemented the 85 per cent pictorial warnings include Kuber, Baba 120, Miraj, V1, Tulsi, S-4, Dilbag and Pan Bahar, among others. Among the bidi brands were Haribai Beedis (Haribai Beedis Works), Ganesh Beedies (Mangalore Beedis), 501 (Ganesh), Vani Nava Shakti (unidentifed tobacco company) and Prakash (NTIC), among others. (Read: Pictorial health warnings can force people to reduce tobacco use)

‘The government needs to redouble its efforts to strictly enforce the implementation of the new pictorial warnings on every tobacco product sold across the country and must aim for full compliance of the law by all tobacco manufacturers,’ said Seema Gupta, Director – Tobacco Control RCH, Voluntary Health Association of India. Bhavna B Mukhopadhyay, Chief Executive, Voluntary Health Association of India, said: ‘Even though some tobacco companies are opposing implementation of the new health warnings on tobacco products, the study results show that implementing 85 per cent pictorial warning on tobacco products is possible/ practical and tobacco companies are abiding by the law.’ According to the statistics, tobacco-related diseases kill about 2,500 Indians daily and over 10 lakh Indians every year. An estimated 5,500 youth and children — as young as eight years old — initiate use of tobacco daily. India has 12 crore tobacco users, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey. (Read: Tobacco products in India to contain 85% pictorial warnings from April 1)

Source: IANS

Image source: Shutterstock

Disclaimer: TheHealthSite.com does not guarantee any specific results as a result of the procedures mentioned here and the results may vary from person to person. The topics in these pages including text, graphics, videos and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only and not to be substituted for professional medical advice.

Previous Article

World Alzhiemer's Day: India count 3.7 million with Alzheimer's to be doubled by 2030

Next Article

Binge eating can lead to various health risks