Tobacco Market Trends Incite Necessity of Compliance Training
Thursday, March 18, 2021
By David Gaudet
Nearly one year ago, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved legislation to change the legal age for purchasing tobacco and tobacco-related products to 21. These changes apply to retail establishments and persons, including military personnel; and includes tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes and hookahs.
As a result of Tobacco 21 Legislation (T21 or Tobacco21), the FDA now executes nationwide checks to determine retailer compliance; this includes verification of purchasers’ age under 27. And it appears the market is responding. According to CSP Daily News’ interview with Altria CEO, 2020 was a dynamic year for tobacco sales. While oral and heated tobacco purchase statistics show positive interest and growth, combustible cigarette volumes saw little change; on the contrary, the e-vapor category is struggling. An article in CStoreDecisions echoes the notion that c-stores experienced a dip in tobacco sales when T21 went into effect. TobaccoReport cites the decline as the result of the FDA’s restriction on flavored cartridges for e-cigarettes. At the start of 2020, e-cigarette sales volume was booming as result of surging numbers of underage smokers using e-cigarettes.1
Considering these market trends, there remains heightened importance and urgency for convenience, grocery and c-stores to deliver thorough training and education for employees. The BARS Program is committed to helping you flawlessly convey the particulars of Tobacco21 to employees and to help facilitate compliance training curriculum that leverages our industry recognized Red and Green Card system. To engage with BARS, or if you have questions, please contact us at customerservice@barsprogram.com or call 1-877-540-5500. Visit https://www.barsprogram.com to learn more about The BARS Program.
Sources:
1 The Wall Street Journal; Jan. 1, 2020, FDA to Ban All E-Cigarette Pod Flavors Except Tobacco and Menthol
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