The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday unveiled a preview of proposed regulations to ban 27 types of chemicals from being used in tobacco products, including cigarettes, vapes and heat-not-burn devices.
A previous version of the ban targeting only mint, floral, fruit and chocolate-flavored tobacco products was withdrawn amid criticism from groups that oppose smoking, who said that the proposed regulations were too narrow.
Lo Su-ying (羅素英), who heads the Health Promotion Agency’s Tobacco Control Division, said that the new proposal would enable the ministry to remove more than half of flavored tobacco products from the market.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
Amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) promulgated last year authorize the government to prohibit specific types of chemical compounds in tobacco products, Lo said.
The list includes vanillin, maltol and heliotropin among other chemical compounds commonly used as additives in flavored tobacco products, she said.
Flavors such as caramel, butter, almond, rose, coconut, raspberry, vanilla and cheese could not be produced without these substances, she said.
The manufacture and import of tobacco products containing the banned substances would result in a fine of NT$1 million to NT$5 million (US$30,826 to US$154,131), while their sale would be punishable by a fine of NT10,000 to NT$50,000, Lo said.
The amended regulations would enter a 60-day period of public consideration before taking effect, she said, adding that the government has no plans to impose fines or penalties immediately for tobacco users.
Lin Ching-li (林清麗), head of the John Tung Foundation’s tobacco control division, said that the foundation is not satisfied with the proposed changes, as they fail to reflect the intent of lawmakers to ban flavored tobacco products.
The ministry’s claims about removing a majority of flavored tobacco products from shelves were unquantified, Lin said, adding that the foundation estimates at least 1,200 varieties of such products are circulating in Taiwan.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai
RSS