Majority of tobacco companies, mostly bidi and smokeless variety manufacturers, do not follow tobacco control act properly while providing pictorial health warning on packets, found a study.

Tobacco Control and Research Cell (TCRC) of Dhaka International University in association with Bangladesh Tamak Birodhi Jote, a coalition of anti-tobacco organisations, conducted the study through surveying 437 samples of tobacco products from December 2018 to March 2019.

In 2013, considering pictorial health warning [a set of gruesome images on the impacts of tobacco] an effective tool to discourage tobacco usage, the government introduced such mechanism while amending the tobacco control act.

The warning has been made mandatory for all types of tobacco packaging since 2016 under some parameters like it should cover 50 percent of a packet, should be printed on both sides and the pictures have to be changed every three months.

However, TCRC study found that 88 percent of tobacco products are marketed without proper pictorial health warning as per Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act. The study also said majority of the companies provide such warnings, though in a neglectful manner.

None of the bidi packets follow the act properly while very few jorda and gul packets [one and four percent] are sold as per guideline. The study also said 41 percent cigarette packets have proper packaging.

TCRC collected samples such as cigarette, bidi, jorda and gul of different brands from eight districts including Naogaon, Faridpur and Bhola. The findings were unveiled at a press conference at Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) auditorium in Dhaka yesterday.

“It is frustrating to find that only a few tobacco products are using pictorial warnings properly. Tobacco companies display the warning, but in a neglectful manner,” said Farhana Zaman Liza, one of the lead researchers.

Citing the findings, she said though the percentage of providing such warning has been increasing gradually, the rate of following the act properly is decreasing.

Farhana, project officer of TCRC, identified poor quality and various types of packaging as major reasons behind bidi manufacturers flouting the law.

To ensure proper implementation of the act, the study suggested that the government should set a standard for packaging. Also, pictorial warnings should cover 90 percent of the packets while providing full address of the manufacturers should be made mandatory, it added.

Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andolon; Ruhul Quddus, former coordinator of National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC); and Helal Ahmed, acting coordinator of Tamak Birodhi Jote; also spoke at the event.