To further support age-verification efforts at retail, the FDA also launched an age-calculator app. Available for download on Apple and Android devices, the FDA Age Calculator app helps employees check if a customer is old enough to purchase tobacco by scanning their drivers’ license (the app does not store that information).
“We created these resources bearing in mind that tobacco-product retailers vary—from convenience stores to grocery stores to specialty shops,” Zeller wrote in a blog post about This Is Our Watch. “These new resources are designed to be clear and direct in helping owners and employees adhere to federal requirements.”
As with Every Try Counts, participation in This Is Our Watch is voluntary: Retailers can opt to use the full program or use parts to supplement sales-training materials and practices currently in place.