The display ban has already been applicable to tobacco products in supermarkets since the 1st of July 2020. Now also being applied to retail stores and online retailers, the ban has been extended to include vaping products, heated tobacco products and herbs intended for smoking. With regards to online stores, while adverts of the devices themselves are forbidden, images of accessories, such as ashtrays and lighters, will still be permitted.
In some cases specialist tobacco stores will be exempt from the display ban. In order to be eligible for such exemptions, the stores need to be registered with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and fulfil certain conditions on specifications such as product range and (maximum) turnover.
Other measures aimed at decreasing tobacco sales
Meanwhile, last November the government of the Netherlands announced a ban on the sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products, in supermarkets as of 2024. Moreover, in October a plain packaging regulation went into effect, forcing all cigarette manufacturers to sell cigarettes in identical brown packaging. Tobacco prices have been increased by almost 20%, with the final aim being the price of €10 per packet of cigarettes.
Read Further: Business.gov.nl
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