Is blue the new green? Repackaging menthol cigarettes in response to a flavour ban in Ontario, Canada

Author:

Borland Tracey,D’Souza Sandra AORCID,O’Connor Shawn,Chaiton Michael Oliver,Schwartz Robert

Abstract

BackgroundAs of 1 January 2017, the Canadian province of Ontario banned the distribution and sale of menthol tobacco products. There is limited knowledge about how tobacco companies will adapt their packaging in response to a menthol ban.MethodsWe conducted a content analysis of preban traditional menthol (no capsule) and menthol capsule cigarette packs and their postban replacements. Preban and postban packs were matched using tobacco company descriptions of replacement brands in business-to-business marketing materials, advertising on cigarette pack cellophane and a tobacco company website.ResultsA total of 63 menthol (n=30) and ‘non-menthol alternative’ (n=33) cigarette packs were included in the analysis. Approximately half of the preban packs were menthol capsule cigarettes and half traditional menthol cigarettes. While some postban brands continued to convey menthol-like qualities via the colour and/or brand descriptor ‘green’, ’blue' was the most common colour and brand descriptor postban. Packs shifted from using ‘menthol’ and/or ‘fresh’ as taste descriptor preban to using ‘smooth’ postban; some postban packs had ‘non-menthol alternative’ or ‘without menthol/capsules’ written on their cellophane. The presence of innovative filter technologies continued in the postban samples.ConclusionResults suggest that tobacco companies attempted to maintain menthol smokers in Ontario by aggressive preban promotion of menthol capsule cigarettes, continued promotion of innovative filter technologies and by directing smokers to non-menthol alternatives whose packaging both in text and in colour connoted menthol-like qualities (eg, green) and reduced harshness or harm (eg, blue, white, silver, smooth taste).

Funder

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Publisher

BMJ

Subject

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Health (social science)

Reference23 articles.

1. Smoke-Free Ontario Act, Reg. 48/06. https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/060048/v12 (accessed 1 Mar 2018).

2. The power of product innovation: smokers' perceptions of capsule cigarettes;Moodie;Nicotine Tob Res,2018

3. Canadian Cancer Society, 2015. Canadian cancer society criticizes new menthol “capsule” cigarettes as latest gimmick attractive to kids, press release http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/canadian-cancer-society-criticizes-new-menthol-capsule-cigarettes-as-latest-gimmick-attractive-to-kids-551650821.html (accessed 11 Jul 2018).

4. Packaging digital culture to young smokers

5. Flavour capsule cigarette use among US adult cigarette smokers

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