Sections
DONATE
SUPPORT WWW.JOLLOFNEWS.COM
Account Login
COP 4 update: Tobacco companies and flavorings
Friday, 19 November 2010 16:37
FAVOURED PRODUCTS ARE A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE Should tobacco companies have the unrestricted ability to add chocolate, sugar, licourice, cherry, vanilla and other flavorings to cigarettes? No, of course not. Cigarettes are highly addictive and poisonous, and should not be made more attractive by adding sweeteners, spices and other flavourings.
Why have Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco lobbied so hard against the Articles 9&10 guidelines? Why has the tobacco industry funded the campaign by the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) against the Articles 9&10 guidelines? Big Tobacco’s extensive opposition must be because the industry knows that government controls on flavours will reduce overall industry sales. But that is exactly the point.
Flavours can make it easier and more attractive for children to start smoking, and can discourage cessation. If this was not the case, then why is the tobacco industry so opposed to the guidelines? The guidelines are deserving of support and should be adopted without change.
Worldwide, the tobacco industry is increasingly using flavours, and governments are increasingly responding by adopting legislation. Australian states, Canada, France, Lithuania, Thailand and the United States have all adopted legislation on flavours, and restrictions are pending in Singapore. On 24 September 2010, the European Commission launched a public consultation on potential Directive amendments, including new measures to curb flavours.
In addition to being more attractive to young people, flavored products make it easier for new smokers to start smoking by masking the unpleasant flavor of tobacco. Studies have also demonstrated that young people believe that flavored tobacco products are safer than unflavored tobacco products. Industry documents reveal clear patterns of designing flavored cigarettes to target youth. US Food and Drug Administration, 2009
INDUSTRY MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST GUIDE LINES
Pro-tobacco interests have engaged in a widespread misinformation campaign against the guidelines. It is time to set the record straight.
Myth: The guidelines contain a “prohibition” on flavours and other ingredients.
Fact: The guidelines do not contain a recommendation to “prohibit”, but rather that Parties “prohibit or restrict” flavours that may make cigarettes more attractive/palatable.
Myth: US-style cigarettes (e.g. Marlboro, which contain a blend of burley, oriental and Virginia tobacco) cannot be made without flavours, and a ban on flavours would result in a de facto ban on US-style cigarettes thus putting burley tobacco growers out of work.
Fact: In Canada, where legislation bans flavours in cigarettes, US-style cigarettes continue to be sold, including Marlboro, Winston, Camel, Gauloises and More. In the US, Winston cigarettes (a US-style brand) have for many years been sold without flavours or other additives. Indeed, US-style cigarettes containing burley tobacco continue to be sold in every country where restrictions on flavours have been implemented.
Myth: Adoption of the Articles 9&10 guidelines would have a devastating impact on growers of burley tobacco.
Fact: Deceptive claims of job losses and that the “sky will fall” have for decades been a tobacco industry strategy to oppose regulation. During the FCTC negotiations in 2000-2003, the tobacco industry/ITGA used similar arguments to oppose strong measures in the FCTC. In fact, Articles 9&10 guidelines do not recommend a ban on burley tobacco, and do not contain recommendations that would result in a ban on cigarettes containing burley tobacco.
CONCLUSION
In summary, the draft Articles 9&10 guidelines are sound, and FCA urges all Parties to support their adoption.
Rob Cunningham
Canadian Cancer Society
ALTERNATIVES TO TOBACCO: HOPE FOR RESOURCE-POOR FARMERS IN TANZANIA
On 24 September 2006, the staff of Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF) arrived in Namtumbo District, Ruvuma Region, in southern Tanzania. The objective of the trip was to get first-hand information from resource-poor tobacco farmers. What the TTCF staff witnessed was inconceivable: malnourished children, faces of hungry, desperate women and fathers who had given up hope of catering for family requirements, such as taking children to school, the sick to the hospital and above all, providing sufficient food for the family. These were farmers who had been labouring in tobacco farms all their lives, some from as young as five years old. They had “sold” their crop to the tobacco company in May but by September they still had not been paid. They were very bitter and angry with the government and the tobacco industry for undermining them, and wished they could engage in alternative crops to make a difference in their lives.
OPENED MPs’ EYES
We took their video testimonies and I recall how each one of them wanted to be on camera, to “blow out” their grievances. Those testimonies were a great tool during the FCTC ratification process in parliament; testimonies that opened MPs eyes and enabled them to understand that tobacco was not as important economically to Tanzania as was being portrayed. That tobacco farmers were not the beneficiaries of the crop; instead it was the tobacco industry that gobbled up all the profit. Those testimonies enabled the majority of MPs in parliament to endorse ratification of the FCTC. Although TTCF had no financial resources to offer, farmers were advised to be courageous and adopt alternative crops, for even if they did not sell, they would have food to eat. TTCF worked closely with the farmers and by showing care and support for them, we built trust and they accepted our proposals. Interestingly, Namtumbo farmers turned their anger into courage and made a bold decision: within six months, they had more than 100 acres each of sesame and sunflower ready for harvest.
Although efforts to assist them to secure an oil extraction machine failed and they had to sell their crops raw, they testified that for the first time they made a profit. The result of their first harvest was a driving force for them to increase acreage and also to encourage more farmers to adopt alternative crops.
In the meantime, with very limited resources, TTCF through the Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) organised an entrepreneurship workshop for representatives of farmers who had adopted alternative crops. This workshop was an inspiration that encouraged more farmers to support the idea of alternative crops.
AFTER ADOPTION OF ALTERNATIVE CROPS ... FARMERS NOW TESTIFY THAT THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS HAS IMPROVED GREATLY
In 2006, all farmers in Namtumbo depended on tobacco, a crop that left families miserable, poor and unable to cater for basic requirements; a crop that also degraded their land. After adoption of alternative crops – mainly sesame, sunflower, groundnuts and rice – farmers now testify that their socio-economic status has improved greatly. They now have buyers coming to purchase their produce on-farm and paying cash on purchase. They now have enough money to pay school fees for their children, care for the family's health and above all, enough time to produce sufficient food crops.
By September 2010, exactly three years after TTCF's first encounter, 72 per cent of Namtumbo farmers were growing alternative crops, with the remaining farmers reducing further their tobacco acreage in favour of alternatives. This development has gained so much popularity that it was a major election campaign issue, with one presidential candidate promising to ban tobacco farming if elected.
As more and more farmers adopt alternative crops, the issue of markets is becoming a serious one, with some growers having more than 100 kg of crops left after the harvest, particularly sunflower. This has made some farmers unsure about continuing to farm. Fortunately, sesame has a market, although buyers cheat farmers by using fake scales.
Namtumbo farmers took courage and liberated themselves from tobacco slavery; now they need to be encouraged and supported. Since their main problem today is a market for their produce, efforts need to be made to ensure genuine and profitable markets for it. TTCF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food security and Cooperatives, is working closely with the Tanzania Warehouse Licensing Board (TWLB) under the Warehouse Receipt Project to enable farmers to sell their crops profitably.
Through the TWLB system, when farmers deposit their produce in a warehouse they receive 70 per cent of the value of their crop while TWLB secures appropriate markets for the crops. After final sale, farmers get paid the remaining 30 per cent. This will enable farmers to gain maximum profit from their produce and hence improve further their socioeconomic status and sustain their environment.
At COP-2, TTCF reported about the pain and agony of resource-poor tobacco farmers of Namtumbo District; today at COP-4, TTCF is reporting a success story of ex-tobacco farmers of Namtumbo District.
Lutgard K Kagaruki
Tanzania Tobacco Control Form
GENDER, WOMEN, AND THE TOBACCO EPIDEMIC – WHAT’S NEW?
According to the 2010 WHO report, Gender, Women, and the Tobacco Epidemic, only about 9% of the world’s women are smokers, compared to nearly 40 percent of all men. Given these numbers, why put the spotlight on women and tobacco? A group of experts will answer this question tonight at a side event entitled “Gender, women, and the tobacco epidemic—what’s new?”, co-sponsored by the WHO and the Framework Convention Alliance in collaboration with the International Network of Women Against Tobacco.
Douglas Bettcher, the director of the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative and one of tonight’s speakers, is convinced that addressing gender and tobacco is key to achieving the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on poverty, maternal and child health and gender equality. WHO reports that in the United States (where lung cancer among women now outranks breast cancer) tobacco-related deaths result in lost economic opportunities estimated at US$ 92 billion a year. Half of all tobacco-related deaths occur during the prime productive and reproductive years. Poor families in Bangladesh, Mexico, Indonesia and other developing countries may spend up to 15% of the total family expenditure on tobacco—leaving less for basic needs such as food, education and health.
Soon-Young Yoon, co-editor with Jonathan Samet of the WHO report on gender and tobacco, is critical of many past campaigns for missing the connection between tobacco and the MDG on gender equality. “Gender bias goes unchecked in many health services”, she said. “For example, doctors often blame the victim, asking pregnant women if they smoke. Yet the greatest danger they face could be exposure to second-hand smoke at home, usually from the father. It’s time we talked about women’s rights to a smoke-free environment as a human right.”
The toll on women’s lives taken by second-hand smoke is startling. WHO statistics show that of the 430,000 adult deaths due to second-hand smoke, about 64% were women. The WHO advocates a change in strategy that includes stronger leadership roles for men, more attention in reproductive health services to paternal smoking, and empowering women to demand smoke-free work and home environments.
What works on the ground? Panelists at tonight’s event will report on recent achievements in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Speakers include Mariela Alderete, Vice-Director of the Argentina FIC, Yumiko Kobayashi-Mochizuki of the Japan National Cancer Institute, Susan Mercado from WHO/WPRO, and Margaretha Haglund of INWAT.
Delegates to COP-4 are invited to attend the panel, which will be held at the Best Western la Foret Hotel (Calle La Foret Y Pascual Gattas near the Convention Center) at 6:30 pm. Free copies of the 2010 WHO report on Gender, Women, and the Tobacco Epidemic will be distributed. Refreshments will be served.
Soon-Young Yoon
Co-editor Gender, Women and the Tobacco Epidemic
Jollofnews Poll
Who do you think should be the next President of The Gambia?
Follow us on Twitter
-
Signs of Tunisia recovery; Europe weighs: IMFWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tunisia's economy is showing signs of revival after popular protests last year...
-
Bristol Rovers Speed Merchant Could Be Racing To Posh(GamSports) – Peterborough United are thought to be one of a number of Championship sides...