FDA Highlights Compliance Efforts Against Tobacco Product Retailers

By Ricardo Carvajal –

FDA issued a press release announcing the issuance of more than 1,200 warning letters to tobacco retailers alleged to have violated the agency’s Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco to Protect Children and Adolescents.  Common alleged violations include the sale of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to a minor, and failure to verify a purchaser’s date of birth by means of photographic identification.  The results of FDA’s compliance checks can be accessed online in a database that is searchable by retailer name and geographic location, among other parameters.  The press release also notes that FDA has begun inspecting tobacco product manufacturing facilities.