THURSDAY, Aug. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Potentially poisonous electronic cigarette liquid (e-liquid) made by 17 different manufacturers comes in packaging that strongly resembles that of candies, cookies, and other snacks popular with children.
And after warnings sent to the companies in May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the products on Thursday. The agency told the companies that labels and ads for the nicotine-containing e-liquids were false or misleading, and potentially dangerous. In addition, several of the companies were previously cited for illegally selling the products to minors, the FDA said.
Examples of the products targeted in the warning letters included: One Mad Hit Juice Box, which resembled children’s apple juice boxes; Whip’d Strawberry, which resembled a dairy whipped topping; Twirly Pop, which resembled a Unicorn Pop lollipop and was shipped with one; and Unicorn Cakes, which included images of a strawberry beverage and unicorns eating pancakes, similar to those used by the My Little Pony television and toy franchise.
“When companies market these products using imagery that misleads a child into thinking they’re things they’ve consumed before, like a juice box or candy, that can create an imminent risk of harm to a child who may confuse the product for something safe and familiar,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in a statement. “We’re committed to holding industry accountable to ensure these products aren’t being marketed to, sold to, or used by kids.”
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