The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) has responded to a UK government consultation on vape sales, arguing that several proposed measures are too strict. The SGF wants coloured markings identifying vape flavours to be allowed, alongside simple names that are unappealing to children, and argues that putting vape products behind shutters is “a step too far”.
Concerns over smoke-free targets and retail crime
One of the SGF’s key contentions is that if measures to restrict vape sales are too stern, they might “unintentionally slow government targets for a smoke-free generation”. The federation says there is a risk that retail crime could increase and that adult smokers might be discouraged from switching to vapes.
However, the SGF does agree that advertising and imagery should be restricted to stop the marketing of vapes to children.
Packaging and shutter proposals criticised
In its submission to the consultation, the SGF said: “It is important to distinguish between the partial use of colour, identifying branding and promotional design. We think, therefore, that there should be some allowance for differentiation on packaging, such as a coloured dot or coloured naming or wording, to account for different product types and flavours.”
It added: “Moving vapes behind shutters could create further opportunities for flashpoints and other criminal activity such as illicit trade. The proposals do not take into account the added difficulty for staff working behind the counter while trying to identify and locate an item from potentially hundreds of similar looking items and product categories.”
Implementation period under fire
The SGF is also objecting to a proposed six-month implementation period for new measures to be brought into force, arguing that it is “not feasible” on several grounds. It instead says the minimum requirement should be 24 months.
