Australia's Failed Experiment: Five Years After Brand Censorship on Tobacco, Decline in Smoking Rates has Stalled

Geneva (ots/PRNewswire) -

- New Research Finds Most Australians Consider So-Called
'Plain' Packaging Ineffective, with Eight out of Ten Believing
the Government Would Ignore Evidence if it Contradicted its
Preferred Policy

- Australians Concerned Regulation May Spread to Other
Categories

CanvasU, commissioned by JTI (Japan Tobacco International),
recently conducted a poll to understand Australians' views on the
policy five years after its implementation. The research found that:

- Almost two-thirds (59%) of Australians believe that plain packaging
has been ineffective.
- The majority of Australians (80%) believe the government wouldn't
change or would be reluctant to change a preferred policy if the
evidence was weighted against it.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130528/617491 )

Even the Australian government's own data justifies public
scepticism; the most recent figures from the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare show that "...while smoking rates have been on a
long-term downward trend, for the first time in over two decades, the
daily smoking rate did not significantly decline over the most recent
3 year period (2013 to 2016)"[1]:

"Unsurprisingly, early data from France and the United Kingdom is
pointing in the same direction," states Michiel Reerink, JTI's Global
Regulatory Strategy Vice President. According to a new report
published by Europe Economics, since the Tobacco Products Directive
(TPD2) and plain packaging requirements were implemented in both the
UK and France, the combined policies haven't had any impact on
smoking rates or tobacco sales.[2] Recent data published by the
French public authorities confirms that after nine-months, the amount
of tobacco products distributed to retailers remains stable.[3]

Around the world, anti-tobacco activists and some health
authorities are calling for similar experimental policies to be
rolled-out on other product categories such as alcohol, sugary drinks
and fast food. In December 2016, Public Health England published a
report calling for plain packaging on alcohol,[4] a topic which has
been raised again this month by medical journal The Lancet.[5] In
Canada, the Ontario Medical Association has mocked up images of plain
packaging on food and drink products.[6]

It is therefore no surprise that CanvasU's research found that:

- At least half of Australians think it is likely plain packaging
will be introduced on alcohol and food & drink with a high sugar
content in the future (or that it is already in place).

In fact, a majority of Australians expect this policy to be just
the start of an escalation in regulation against lifestyle in the
future.

"An increasing number of regulators are looking at extreme
tobacco-style regulations on other product categories without
considering proper evidence or research into the consequences. Brand
owners should be worried about this domino-effect as policy-makers
won't stop with tobacco," concludes Michiel Reerink.

Note to editors

Methodology:

CanvasU interviewed 2,097 Australian adults (18+) in a nationally
representative online survey between November 2 and 11, 2017.

About CanvasU:

CanvasU is a 100% Australian owned and independent research
agency. Neil Evans, Executive Director, has worked with clients
across Government, Education institutions, Blue Chip companies and as
preferred supplier for leading Market Research companies within
Australia and overseas. CanvasU has extensive experience conducting
both online and telephone research for a variety of domestic and
international clients. CanvasU is a member of the Australian Market &
Social Research Society (AMSRS) and abides by the Society's Code of
Professional Behaviour and regulations.

Full research tables and methodology can be found on jti.com.

About JTI

JTI is a leading international tobacco company with operations in
more than 120 countries. It is the global owner of both Winston, the
number two cigarette brand in the world, and Camel outside the USA
and has the largest share in sales for both brands. Other global
brands include Mevius, LD and Natural American Spirit. With its
internationally recognized brand Logic, JTI is also a major player in
the e-cigarette market and has, since 2011, been present in the
heated tobacco category with Ploom. Headquartered in Geneva,
Switzerland, JTI employs around 27,000 people and was awarded Global
Top Employer for three consecutive years. Its core revenue in the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, was USD 10.5 billion. JTI is a
member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies. For more information,
visit http://www.jti.com.

References

1. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/illicit-use-of-drugs/ndshs-2016
-key-findings/contents/highlights-from-the-2016-survey

2. The analysis shows that there has been no statistically
significant impact on prevalence in the UK and no statistically
significant impact on consumption in the UK or in France:
http://www.europe-economics.com/publications/15/publications.htm

3. OFDT (Observatoire français des drogues et des toxicomanies).
Volumes of tobacco products (RMC and RYO/MYO) distributed to
retailers as reported by Customs autorities (Direction Générale des
Douanes et Droits Indirects). See https://www.ofdt.fr/statistiques-et
-infographie/tableau-de-bord-tabac/ . Tobacco products went up
slightly (+0.6%) during the first half of 2017 versus the same period
last year). For the period January to September, the same data showed
a decrease by just 1.4% versus to the same period.

4. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment
_data/file/583047/alcohol_public_health_burden_evidence_review.pdf

5. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(
17)32868-4/fulltext

6. https://www.oma.org/wp-content/uploads/pop-obesity-warning.pdf

ots Originaltext: JT International SA
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Neil Evans - Executive Director
neil@canvasu.com.au
+61(0)2-8097-0746

For further information
please contact: JTI Press Office
Phone: +41-22-703-0291
pressoffice@jti.com

Original-Content von: JT International SA, übermittelt durch news aktuell