Labelling requirements on waterpipe tobacco

The labelling requirements cover packaging. Packaging includes:

• Unit packet, the smallest individual packaging of waterpipe tobacco that is available on the market.
• Outside packaging, any packaging in which waterpipe tobacco 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.

Waterpipe tobacco that are available to consumers on the Swedish market must carry a general warning, an information message, and a combined health warning that includes smoking cessation information 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 waterpipe tobacco or the product itself, prohibited product presentation.

General warning and information message

Each packaging of waterpipe tobacco must carry the following general warning in Swedish:

Rökning dödar

Each packaging of waterpipe tobacco must carry the following information message in Swedish:

Tobaksrök innehåller över 70 cancerframkallande ämnen

Placing of the general warning and the information message on different packages:

• For cuboid packets the general warning must appear on the bottom part of one of the lateral surfaces of the unit packets, and the information message must appear on the bottom part of the other lateral surface. The general warning and the information messagese must have a width of not less than 20 mm.
• For packets in the form of a shoulder box with a hinged lid that result in the lateral surfaces being split into two when the packet is open, the general warning and the information message must appear in their entirety on the larger parts of those split surfaces. The general warning must also appear on the inside of the top surface that is visible when the packet is open. The lateral surfaces of this type of packet must have a height of not less than 16 mm.
• For pouches the general warning and the information message must appear on the surfaces that ensure the full visibility of those health warnings.
• For cylindrical packets the general warning must appear on the outside surface of the lid and the information message on the inside surface of the lid.

The general warning and the information message must:

• cover 50 percent of the surfaces on which they are printed. The dimensions of the general warning and the information message 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 the general warning and the information message,
• 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 and the information message,
• 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.

Combined health warning

A combined health warning consists of a combination of a text warning and a corresponding photograph or illustration. It is also grouped into three sets. Each set must be used in a given year and be rotated on an annual basis. Each combined health warning available for use in a given year should be displayed to the extent possible in equal numbers on each brand of tobacco products.

Each packaging of waterpipe tobacco must carry combined health warnings in Swedish. The combined health warnings must:

• Contain one of the text warnings and a corresponding colour photograph specified in the picture library. If a manufacturer or an importer of waterpipe tobacco need access to the picture library of high resolution combined health warnings, designed for the Swedish market, please contact us.
• Cover 65 percent of both the external front and back of the packaging. Cylindrical packets must display two combined health warnings, equidistant from each other, each covering 65 percent of their respective half of the curved surface. The dimensions of the warnings must be calculated in relation to the surface concerned when the packet is closed.
• Show the same text warning and corresponding colour photograph on both sides of the packaging.
• Appear at the top edge of the packaging, and be positioned in the same direction as any other information appearing on that surface of the packaging.
• Be reproduced according to the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1842 on the technical specifications for the layout, design and shape of the combined health warnings.
• Include smoking cessation information, with contact information, that refers to the Sluta-Röka-Linjen, for example:

Sluta-Röka-Linjen: 020-84 00 00 www.slutarokalinjen.se

Non-binding documents that displays examples of the Swedish combined health warnings (ec.europa.eu) (in Swedish)

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1842 (eur-lex.europa.eu)

The combined health warning, general warning and information message 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 combined health warnings, general warning and information message 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.

Prohibited product presentation

Packaging of waterpipe tobacco 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 flavou.