Heated flavoured tobacco not available from October

In recent years, sales of heated tobacco products have increased in EU member states. To protect the health of young people in particular, certain exemptions concerning flavoured heated tobacco have been abolished. Czech legislation responded by establishing a ban on placing flavoured heated tobacco products on the market.

However, the amendment does not stipulate any transitional period during which entrepreneurs could sell their stocks of flavoured heated tobacco products: from 23 October 2023, these products will not be allowed to be sold, without any exemptions. Entrepreneurs will have no choice but to try to get rid of the stock earlier through various discount events. The supply of flavoured smoke will therefore be considerably reduced, as flavoured cigarettes or roll-your-own tobacco with characteristic flavours can already no longer be purchased. However, flavoured e-cigarette refills are still available.

In addition, on manufacturers, importers, sellers and distributors of heated unflavoured tobacco products, the amendment imposes similar labelling obligations as for roll-your-own or waterpipe tobacco, including the obligation to label their goods with a health warning about the risk of smoking.

The amendment to the Act on the Protection of Public Health also abolishes the obligation of persons working in the food industry to have a food hygiene permit. According to the legislators, this involved unnecessary bureaucracy, especially as this permit was sometimes issued by a general practitioner without a proper examination of the worker and its validity was not limited. Food industry workers will no longer need food hygiene permit from 1 July 2023.