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First graphic health warnings in the hard packet

Updated at 04 Dec 2013, 14:21

In compliance with the tobacco control law and the inter Circular by Ministry of Health and Ministry of Trade and Industry on graphic health warnings in the tobacco packet, the product of Marlboro White- Phillip Morris with 20 cigarette sticks was found to be the first brand printed the graphic health warnings

(GHWs) in its hard packet and flowed to the market since 1 December 2013.
Following the tobacco control law and inter circular on GHWs in the tobacco packet, its application in the soft packet has been already effective since 8 August 2013 and will be very soon applicable for the hard packet since 8 December. Prior to the above deadline, a series of communication activities were launched in the mass media to draw up the focus of public and policy makers. Thang Long brand was the first to printed GHWs in its soft packet and Marlboro White- Phillip Morris was the first to printed GHWs in its hard packet.

(Photo taken in Hanoi)

Some key information on GHWs
The packet of tobacco product that is manufactured, imported for consumption in Vietnam shall be printed with health warnings samples which shall be clear and visible.
The health warnings shall be printed in both of principal surfaces of tobacco packet and should ensure that none of any health warnings is hidden or obscured by any other material or images which is except for stamping as regulated.

(Photo taken in Hanoi)

The health warnings should be printed in parallel with and adjacent to the upper edge of the packet of tobacco products and shall account for at least 50% of the principal surfaces of the tobacco packet.
The image of health warnings is printed four or more basic colors, with the resolution of no less than 300DPI resolution (dot per inch).
Each tobacco product of one tobacco branch should be printed with one out of six health warning samples as regulated in the Circular. The different tobacco products of one tobacco branch should be printed with different health warning samples. If there are more than six tobacco products of one tobacco branch, they should be printed all of six health warning samples.
The sample of health warnings should be periodically changed in the interval of two years.

If “packet” is changed to “package” in Art. 3(4), it would be best to use the term “package” rater than “packet” here and throughout the regulations.

Suggest adding that the warnings must be printed on packages in a way that they cannot be removed. It would also be a good idea to specify that the warnings must be in Vietnamese.

Suggest something like: “printed as shown in the samples presented in the Appendix to this Circular as closely as is possible. “

Is it possible to provide the warnings in an electronic file so that the warnings can be copied exactly as they appear in the appendix?

The regulations should specify the exact percentage of the principal surfaces that the warnings must occupy. The Art. 11 Guidelines provide that the warnings should be as large as possible since the larger the warning, the more effective it is.

(Photo taken in Hanoi)

Also, suggest stating that the % size requirement does not include the space taken up by the border around the warning (assuming the warnings will have a border).

The colors should be set in the images of the warnings provided in the Appendix/electronic file. Suggest specifying that the colors of the warnings must be as close as possible to those set out in the samples in the Appendix/electronic source document. This means removing the "or more" from the sentence because manufacturere and importers should not be allowed to change the colors of the requried warnings.
Suggest also that a provision be added rrequiring that the all components of the warnings, their positions, and the scale of the warnings shown in the Appendix/ electronic file be duplicated on tobacco product direct and outside packaging and labeling as closely as possible