Part Eight
Voluntary Agreement for the Approval of New Additives to Tobacco Products
8.1 The inclusion of additives, usually in the form of flavouring compounds to manufactured brands of tobacco products, has played a significant part in the tobacco modification programme over the last few years. One of the effects has been the maintenance of “taste” as tar yields have fallen with an ensuing reduction in natural flavour. The negative side of this has been the maintenance of the appeal of a product, which might otherwise have been rendered unacceptable through the adulteration of intrinsic flavour.
8.2 The scrutiny of additives to tobacco products rests with the Department of Health, which acts on behalf of the UK Health Departments, taking advice from the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health and its Technical Advisory Group. This system ensures that smokers are not unwittingly exposed to substances which cause deleterious health effects.
8.3 During 1994 it became clear that the guidelines for the approval of additives to tobacco products, and the arrangements for considering submissions, needed to be revised to take account of scientific and technical advances made since the drawing up of the last agreement, and to ensure the efficient and timely processing of requests for approval.
8.4 Revised guidelines for the approval of new additives to tobacco products and the Voluntary Agreement supporting these guidelines are set out in Annex K. These replace guidelines on additive testing set out in Appendix VI of the Second Report of the Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health and the Voluntary Agreement on Tobacco Modification and Research of 22nd March, 1984.
8.5 Following European agreement the document was signed in March 1997 by the representatives of the tobacco manufacturers and importers and the four United Kingdom Health Departments.
Recommendations
8.6 The use of additives in tobacco products should continue to be closely monitored.
8.7 The Technical Advisory Group should regularly review the changing patterns and types of additives.
|
