The crisis of Elf Bar is worth thinking about

According to foreign reports, the British "Daily Mail" investigation found that Elf Bar's vape products violated the UK's nicotine restriction laws, leading the country's major retailers to stop selling the best-selling Elf Bar vape.

Tesco, Sainsbury's and WH Smith have removed all Elf Bars from their shelves, while Morrisons and Asda have pulled the number one Elf Bar 600 range from their shelves.

It comes after independent laboratory tests commissioned by the Daily Mail found the Elf Bar 600 model vape range contained 50 per cent more nicotine vape oil than the legal limit.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay is also in parliament facing questions from Conservative MP Adam Afriel over whether he linked Trading Standards over the breach.

Andrew Bush, professor of paediatrics at Imperial College London, said the revelations by the Post were shocking and worrying that people didn't know what they were using.

Of particular concern is that the devices are popular with children for their bright packaging and sweet flavors. Anti-smoking group Ash found last year that more than half of 11- to 17-year-olds admitted to having tried vaping, with around 100,000 of them using Elf Bars.

The Chinese manufacturer, which launched in 2021, sells 2.5 million Elf Bar 600s a week in the UK, accounting for two-thirds of all disposable vapes. The devices usually cost around £6 each.

UK law states that the amount of nicotine liquid in a vape is limited to 2ml, of which the maximum nicotine strength should be 2%. The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 state that the restriction is to create an environment that protects children from starting to use these products.

But the Post commissioned tests of three flavors of Elf Bar 600 bought at Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons stores in London, Derby and Sheffield and found they contained between 3ml and 3.2ml of nicotine level.

An Elf Bar spokesperson later wholeheartedly apologized and confirmed: "We have discovered that some batches of Elf Bar products have been overfilled in the UK. Other market standard e-liquid tank sizes.

Despite an apology from Elf Bar for overfilling its product and a promise to audit its manufacturing process, the matter has drawn heightened public and government attention. The incident has once again highlighted regulatory issues in the vape industry.

The vape industry has experienced explosive growth globally over the past few years, attracting more and more consumers and investors. However, because its product is essentially a nicotine-like substance, there are certain health risks and addiction, so it needs to be strictly regulated.

In the UK, the government has introduced a range of laws and policies to protect public health, including limiting the amount and strength of nicotine liquid in vapes and banning the sale of vape products to those under the age of 18. However, companies like Elf Bar overfill nicotine liquids to boost sales, a practice that not only breaks the law but also endangers the health of consumers.

Therefore, the government needs to strengthen the regulation of the vape industry to ensure the quality and safety of its products. This requires the government to cooperate with the industry to formulate stricter standards and norms to ensure that vape products meet the requirements of relevant laws and policies.

In addition, consumers also need to increase their risk awareness of vape products and concern about their quality. They should choose certified brands and products and avoid buying uncertified vape products to protect their health and safety.

In short, the overfilling incident of Elf Bar's products has once again aroused people's attention and thinking about the vape industry. The government and industry need to work together to formulate stricter regulatory measures and standards to ensure that vape products comply with relevant laws and policies and protect public health and safety.

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