Labelling requirements on smokeless tobacco products

The labelling requirements cover packaging. Packaging includes:

• Unit packet, the smallest individual packaging of smokeless tobacco products that is available on the market.
• Outside packaging, any packaging in which smokeless tobacco products are available on the market and which includes a unit packet or an aggregation of unit packets; transparent wrappers are not regarded as outside packaging.

Smokeless tobacco products that are available to consumers on the Swedish market must carry health warnings on its packages. As a manufacturer or importer you are responsible for ensuring that the packet carries correct health warnings. There are also some elements or features that may not be presented on the packaging of smokeless tobacco products or the product itself, prohibited product presentation.

Health warning

Each packaging of smokeless tobacco products must carry the following health warning in Swedish:

Denna tobaksvara skadar hälsan och är beroendeframkallande

The health warning must:

• appear on the two largest surfaces of the unit packet and any outside packaging,
• cover 30 percent of the surface of the unit packet and of any outside packaging. The dimensions of the health warnings must be calculated in relation to the surface concerned when the packet is closed,
• be surrounded by a black border of a width of 1 mm inside the surface area that is reserved for these warnings,
• be printed in black Helvetica bold type on a white background,
• use the font size that ensures that the text occupies the greatest possible proportion of the surface reserved for the health warning,
• be at the centre of the surface reserved for them, and on cuboid packets and any outside packaging they must be parallel to the lateral edge of the unit packet or of the outside packaging, and
• the text of the health warning must be parallel to the main text on the surface reserved for the warning.

Beside this the health warnings must:

• Cover the entire surface of the packaging that is reserved for them and they must not be commented on, paraphrased or referred to in any form.
• On packets be irremovably printed, indelible and fully visible, including not being partially or totally hidden or interrupted by tax stamps, price marks, security features, wrappers, jackets, boxes, or other items, when the product are available on the market. The health warnings on unit packets may be affixed by means of stickers, provided that such stickers are irremovable.
• Remain intact when opening the unit packet other than packets with a flip-top lid, where the health warnings may be split when opening the packet, but only in a manner that ensures the graphical integrity and visibility of the text, photographs and cessation information.
• In no way hide or interrupt the tax stamps, price marks, tracking and tracing marks, or security features on unit packets.

Illustrations of health warnings

The following non-binding documents displays health warnings on packaging for smokeless tobacco products.

Snus and other smokeless tobacco products – cylindrical unit packet (PDF, 1,7 MB) (in Swedish)

Snus and other smokeless tobacco products – rectangular unit packet (PDF, 825 kB) (in Swedish)

Prohibited product presentation

Packaging of smokeless tobacco products or the product itself must not include any elements or features that:

• Suggests that a particular product is less harmful than other such products.
• Information about the nicotine, tar or carbon monoxide content of the product.
• Resembles a food product.
• Resembles a cosmetic product.
• Suggests that a certain product has environmental advantages.
• Refers to taste, smell, any flavourings or other additives (This prohibition does not apply to tobacco for oral use, snus).