The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has called for a tightening-up of the UK’s vaping regulatory framework after the withdrawal of overfilled Elfbar and Lost Mary products from sale.
UKVIA Director General John Dunne said it is now crystal clear that approving vape products without testing for compliance, either pre- or post-approval, simply doesn’t work.
He said: “Whilst we understand that mistakes can happen, everything possible must be done to ensure that they are few and far between because, as we have seen in recent weeks, the reputation of the whole industry depends on it.”
Dunne called for an active programme of testing incorporated into the MHRA approvals process, backed up by random spot checks to ensure that not only are products fully compliant when they first enter the market but that standards don’t drop over time.
“We also need to see swift and decisive action by the relevant authorities when any failure to comply with the law is uncovered so that mistakes can be rectified quickly and that manufacturers, distributors and retailers know exactly what action they need to take,” Dunne added.
He said the delay between the recent overfilling issue coming to light and the announcement that non-compliant products must be removed from sale had caused widespread confusion both within the industry and for consumers.
Dunne said that in order to maintain public confidence in the industry, retailers, distributors and manufacturers must be aware that any non-compliance would be taken seriously. He added: “The MHRA should give serious consideration to suspending ECID numbers from products found to be non-compliant until such time as it is satisfied that the problem has been rectified.
“This has also highlighted the need for one universal standard for compliance testing such as e-liquid volumes.
“The UKVIA has seen the results of independent testing of vape products and it is worrying that we are seeing conflicting results, depending on the type of tests being carried out.”
