Labelling requirements on tobacco products for smoking
Tobacco products for smoking that are available to consumers on the Swedish market must carry a general warning, including smoking cessation information, and a text warning on its packages
The labelling requirements cover packaging. Packaging includes:
- Unit packet, the smallest individual packaging of tobacco products for smoking that is available on the market.
- Outside packaging, any packaging in which tobacco products for smoking 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.
Tobacco products for smoking that are available to consumers on the Swedish market must carry a general warning, including smoking cessation information, and a text warning on its packages. As a manufacturer or importer you are responsible for ensuring that the packet carries correct labelling. There are also some elements or features that may not be presented on the packaging of tobacco products for smoking or the product itself, prohibited product presentation.
General warning including the smoking cessation information
Each packaging of tobacco products for smoking must carry the following general warning including the smoking cessation information in Swedish:
Rökning dödar
Sluta-Röka-Linjen: 020-84 00 00 www.slutarokalinjen.se
The general warning including the smoking cessation information must:
- appear on the most visible surface of the unit packet and on any outside packaging,
- cover 30 percent of the relevant surface of the unit packet and of any outside packaging. If the surface exceeds 150 cm2, the warning must cover an area of 45 cm2. The dimensions of the text warning must be calculated in relation to the surface concerned when the packet is closed,
- be surrounded by a black border of a width of not less than 3 mm and not more than 4 mm. The border must appear outside the surface reserved for the text warning,
- 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 general warning including the smoking cessation information,
- 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 warnings must be parallel to the main text on the surface reserved for these warnings.
Text warning
Each packaging of tobacco products for smoking must have one of the 14 variants of the text warnings in Swedish. Each one of the text warnings must be displayed to the extent possible in equal numbers on each brand of these products:
- Rökning är orsaken till 9 av 10 fall av lungcancer
- Rökning orsakar mun- och halscancer
- Rökning skadar lungorna
- Rökning orsakar hjärtinfarkt
- Rökning orsakar stroke och funktionsnedsättningar
- Rökning ger förträngningar i blodkärlen
- Rökning ökar risken för blindhet
- Rökning skadar tänderna och tandköttet
- Rökning kan döda ditt ofödda barn
- Rök skadar dina barn, din familj och dina vänner
- Barn till rökare röker oftare själva
- Sluta röka nu – lev vidare för dina nära och kära
- Rökning minskar fruktsamheten
- Rökning ökar risken för impotens
The text warning must:
- appear on the next most visible surface of the unit packet and on any outside packaging. On unit packets with a hinged lid, the second most visible surface is the one that becomes visible when the package is open,
- cover 40 percent of the relevant surface of the unit packet and of any outside packaging. If the surface exceeds 150 cm2, the warning must cover an area of 45 cm2. The dimensions of the text warning must be calculated in relation to the surface concerned when the packet is closed,
- be surrounded by a black border of a width of not less than 3 mm and not more than 4 mm. The border must appear outside the surface reserved for the text warning,
- 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 text 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 warnings must be parallel to the main text on the surface reserved for these warnings.
The General warning, including the smoking cessation information, and the text warning must also:
- 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 general warning, including the smoking cessation information, and the text warning 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 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 tobacco products for smoking.
Tobacco products for smoking (e.g. cigars, cigarillos and pipe tobacco) – cylindrical unit packaging (PDF, 648 kB) (in Swedish)
Tobacco products for smoking (e.g. cigars, cigarillos and pipe tobacco) – tubular unit packaging (PDF, 1,1 MB) (in Swedish)
Prohibited product presentation
Packaging of tobacco products for smoking 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.
