SAN FRANCISCO — Following its strategy in the United States to address public concerns over the rising number of young people taking up vaping, Juul Labs has removed its fruit-flavored vaping pods in Canada, Reuters reported.
The San Francisco-based maker of the popular Juul-branded e-cigarette stopped distributing its mango, vanilla, fruit and cucumber pods in mid-January, leaving its tobacco and mint flavors in Canadian markets.
In the last months of 2019, Juul pulled its fruit flavors, including mint, from U.S. retail and online sales as a result of public concerns and conversations with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over growing number of young people vaping.
On Jan. 2, the FDA took its own actions, publishing its industrywide final guidance on enforcement priorities over e-cigarettes, which specifically prohibited the sale of flavored vaping cartridges, or pods, excluding tobacco and menthol flavors, as of Feb. 6, 2020.
“As previously announced, Juul Labs refrained from lobbying [President Donald Trump’s] administration on its draft flavor guidance and pledged to support the final policy," the FDA said in a statement at the time of the action. "We fully understand the urgent need to continue resetting the vapor category and earn trust as we combat underage use and convert adult smokers from combustible cigarettes.”
In Canada, the vaping industry had been drawing more public and government scrutiny over marketing practices and the allure of vaping among young people. Late last year, health officials considered proposals to ban promotion and advertising of vape products both at retail and online, Reuters reported.
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