The US Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for misleading kids with e-liquids, which appear similar to the children’s juice boxes, candies and cookies.
Image: The FDA and FTC warn companies to stop misleading kids. Photo: courtesy of The U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The regulators have issued 13 warning letters foe marketing e-liquids used in e-cigarettes with labeling and advertising, which cause them to resemble kid-friendly food products such as juice boxes, candy and cookies.
FDA and FTC have also issued warning letters to the companies, which are marketing similar products to minors.
FDA commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb said: “No child should be using any tobacco product, and no tobacco products should be marketed in a way that endangers kids – especially by using imagery that misleads them into thinking the products are things they’d eat or drink.
“Looking at these side-to-side comparisons is alarming. It is easy to see how a child could confuse these e-liquid products for something they believe they’ve consumed before – like a juice box.”
Some misleading products include One Mad Hit Juice Box that resembles children’s apple juice boxes such as Tree Top-brand juice boxes, Vape Heads Sour Smurf Sauce that resembles War Heads candy and V’Nilla Cookies & Milk that resembles Nilla Wafer and Golden Oreo cookies.
The products also comprised of Whip’d Strawberry that resembles Reddi-wip dairy whipped topping and Twirly Pop that resembles Unicorn Pop lollipop.
FTC acting chairman Maureen Ohlhausen said: “Nicotine is highly toxic, and these letters make clear that marketing methods that put kids at risk of nicotine poisoning are unacceptable.”
At the end of 2017, the FDA began its investigation of tobacco product labeling and advertising, which causes the tobacco products to copy food products, specifically those attracting children.
The products mentioned in the warning letters are considered misbranded in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as their labeling or advertising imitating kid-friendly foods is false or misleading.