WASHINGTON — U.S. authorities are seizing more shipments of electronic cigarettes unauthorized in the ports of USAbut thousands of new vapers continue to arrive in the country from Chinaaccording to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press.
The figures underscore the chaotic state of the $7 billion U.S. vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stem the flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes used by one in 10 teenagers in the country.
More than 11,500 unique vaping products are sold in U.S. stores, up 27% from 9,000 in June, according to data collected by analytics firm Circana.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “bans a product, manufacturers turn it around, and kids get it,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a psychologist at Stanford University who develops anti-vaping educational materials. “It’s very easy to change the product a little and relaunch it.”
Almost all of the new products are disposable e-cigarettes, according to sales data collected at gas stations, convenience stores and other locations. The products generated $3.2 billion in the first 11 months of this year.
The FDA has authorized some e-cigarettes for adults and is still reviewing products from several major companies, including Juul. Almost all other vapes are considered illegal by regulators.
The rise in e-cigarette sales continues despite a record number of seized products.
An FDA database shows that last month the United States denied entry to 148 containers of “tobacco” products, which consisted almost entirely of vaping products from China. Rejected imports are usually destroyed.
As of November, US authorities had rejected 374 such shipments this year, compared to 118 rejected in 2022.
In July 2022, the FDA banned dozens of e-cigarettes from Chinese manufacturer Fume, including the Pineapple Ice and Blue Razz flavors.
Fume’s sales fell after the ban, but the company launched new products and reported $42 million in sales in the United States in the third quarter of 2023. 98% of sales came from products not on the red list from the FDA.
The industry’s shipping tactics also call into question the usefulness of import restrictions.
In July, FDA and customs officials intercepted $18 million worth of illegal vapes, including the leading brand Elf Bar. But the shipments were labeled as shoes, toys and other items, not e-cigarettes, forcing the officials to open and individually verify the contents of more than two dozen containers.
Circana, formerly IRI, restricts access to its data, which it sells to companies and researchers. A person not authorized to share it gave access to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The FDA does not have a timeline for updating its import lists, but said it is “closely monitoring” cases where companies try to avoid detection.
“The FDA has a variety of tools at our disposal to take action against these tactics,” said the FDA’s King.
Source: AP
