Singapore prepares for tobacco display bans

Retailers in Singapore will not be allowed to display tobacco products in their shops, starting in 2017, according to a story by Loke Kok Fai for channelnewsasia.com, citing an announcement from the Ministry of Health yesterday.

The ministry said the ban on stores displaying such products would be introduced after amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act were tabled in parliament.

Under the coming regulations, tobacco products will have to be out of sight of the public at all times, except during restocking or during a sales transaction.

The ministry said it was prepared to allow a text-only price list in a standard format so as to facilitate transactions and ensure a level commercial playing field, while preventing misuse of the list as a form of advertisement.

It will allow storage units to be in the same colour as the decor or interior walls of the outlet, as long as the color does not draw attention to the storage units.

A brochure, published by the Health Promotion Board in the four national languages, is due to be distributed to retailers in the coming months, detailing the dos and don’ts of storing and selling tobacco products.