elf bar v bat

Oooh its Handbags at Dawn!

There is a bit of a scrap between BAT (British American Tobacco) and the ElfBar brand in the UK!

What is it all about?

Vape War?

An article in the Daily Mirror has popped up titled “Tobacco firm’s report to trading standards officers sparks “vape war”

daily mirror bat v elf bar

So basically British American Tobacco (a.k.a. BAT) who own the Vuse vape brand, reported the Chinese brand ElfBar for breaching UK TPD regulations.

Earlier this year some products were found exceeding the permitted e-liquid capacity which resulted in some ElfBars being removed from sale in the UK. This story was widely reported.

As a follow up BAT conducted their own tests weeks later and found 71 batches of ElfBar 600 and Lost Mary vapes which were breaking the rules.

BAT chief Sam Millicheap wrote the following to Trading Standards…

“I hope you find this information useful for any enforcement action.”

A Trading Standards officer apparently told the Daily Mirror that no action was taken and added…

“The real problems are illegal products.”

It is claimed by ElfBar, that a snubbed takeover bid from BAT has triggered the reports.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have also waded into the situation – accusing BAT of starting a “vape war” and criticised BAT for contacting trading standards.

ElfBar have said…

“We have been working to assure future compliance.”

And BAT said…

“We believe manufacturers should ensure that their products adhere to ­applicable laws.”

I know that BAT are in the right here, no products for sale in the UK should be breaching TPD regulations. We argue on how well UK vaping products are regulated.

However it does seem a bit spiteful for a large Tobacco company to start beef like this. Is there more than a bit of a fishy whiff to this?

And it is all “he said, she said” – plus of course there may be a twinkle of sensationalism from the Daily Mirror…

Shell Ecigclick Photo
Michelle Jones

I am an engineer and Technical Author by trade. My journey in vaping began around 2016, in the days of Tornado tanks, Ego batteries and Variable Voltage. It took me a few years to fully quit smoking but I finally stopped in June 2019 and that is all thanks to vaping! 20mg Nicotine Salts are my hero! Oh and I am partial to a nice pod mod and Bubblegum e-liquid! I have reported on the latest news on Ecigclick since 2017 and love being part of this great team! My passion for Tobacco Harm Reduction has also led me to becoming a Trustee for the NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) aiding in Advocacy

I am an engineer and Technical Author by trade. My journey in vaping began around 2016, in the days of Tornado tanks, Ego batteries and Variable Voltage. It took me a few years to fully quit smoking but I finally stopped in June 2019 and that is all thanks to vaping! 20mg Nicotine Salts are my hero! Oh and I am partial to a nice pod mod and Bubblegum e-liquid! I have reported on the latest news on Ecigclick since 2017 and love being part of this great team! My passion for Tobacco Harm Reduction has also led me to becoming a Trustee for the NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) aiding in Advocacy

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