Elf Bar has dropped sweet flavours from all its vape products
Elf Bar has said it will drop dessert and soft drink flavours from its range, following criticism that the sweet-tasting vapes appeal to children.
The popularity of vapes has exploded in recent years, and while it can be a helpful tool to get people to quit smoking, concerns have been raised about the number of children now vaping.
Back in March, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told LADbible: "Smoking kills, so our priority is to prevent people smoking, and supporting them to quit.
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"The government remains committed to our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030.
"However, while vaping is a preferable alternative to smoking for adults, we are concerned about the rise in youth vaping, particularly the increasing use of disposable vaping products.
"We are exploring a range of measures to address this - including clamping down on children accessing vapes illegally, and those who are getting them hooked on nicotine.
"It’s right for the government to do all it can to protect children from addiction."
Elf Bar and its sister brand Lost Mary are the most popular disposable vape brand in the UK - making up more than half of sales.
In a survey from earlier this year, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that half of 11 to 17-year-olds who had tried vapes had tried an Elf Bar and 25 percent had tried Lost Mary.
Elf Bar has already ditched several flavours including Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy, and Rainbow Candy, with a spokesperson telling the BBC more will be dropped but that the change will ‘take some time to filter through the supply chain’.
The company also called for tighter restrictions on the sale of vapes including a new licensing regime similar to the ones in place for cigarettes and alcohol.
The spokesperson told the BBC: "The introduction of such a regime would mitigate children's access to vapes and make it easier for the authorities to better regulate the sale of vaping devices. Furthermore, we believe it would help combat the growing illicit vape market and drive increased rates of vape recycling.”
The announcement comes after disposable vape manufacturer Supreme said it would ditch brightly-coloured packaging on its vape to make them less appealing to young people as well as branding the names of some flavours.
Sandy Chadha, Chief Executive of Supreme, said: “Whilst we believe flavoured vapes are a critical part of many ex-smokers ‘quitting journey’ as they seek to replace that tobacco taste for something more palatable, we are also desperate to ensure that those flavours do not spark any interest in younger people.
“We are fully supportive of any further legislation in the sector and believe it is the right thing to do to begin to transition our business by removing or changing anything from within our product set that could be deemed compromising.
“As government guidance evolves, we may seek to re-assess this approach.”
Claire Reid