Representatives from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency were recently given an overview of the requirements of the draft CARICOM Regional Standard for Labelling of Retail Packages of Tobacco Products.

The regulations were being developed under the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality framework.

Chief Technical Officer at the Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI), Fabian Scott, outlined the requirements, during a seminar at the Barbados Workers Union’s Solidarity House Headquarters, last Friday.

Mr. Scott told participants that the proposed draft standard, which addressed the labelling of cigarette packages sold in stores and supermarkets, must include graphic health warnings about the dangers of smoking; the name and addresses of the manufacturer and/or distributor; and any additional information. ??This, he stressed was necessary to protect consumers from the risks of fraud or deception.

The BNSI official further explained that individual packages and cartons, not displayed for sale are exempted from the CARICOM Regional Standard.

In giving a background to the changes in labelling requirements, Mr. Scott said: "The revision of the draft Labelling of Retail Packages of Tobacco Products Standard was informed by the World Health Organisation’s Convention on Tobacco Control and developed by a Regional Technical Committee."

He further pointed out that standards were revised every five years and the standard revision process took approximately 18 months to complete.

jwilson@barbados.gov.bb

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