- One third of Scottish consumers still believe they are able to buy disposable vaping products
- Product identification is now an issue, with a variety of new vape designs entering the market since the ban
- SGF warned before ban that the change could lead to a rise in illicit trade
A survey conducted by the Scottish Grocers' Federation shows that almost a third of retailers are still being asked by customers to sell them disposable vapes.
Just over 31 per cent of respondents said that staff are being asked for single-use vaping products at least once a day, while a further 18 per cent reported it happening at least once a week.
Retailers are also concerned that product identification has become an issue, with a variety of new compliant vape product designs entering the market since the ban. SGF has made a renewed call to its members to double-check that stock in their stores meets the new legal requirements in order to avoid any unintended issues with police or trading standards.
While the Scottish convenience sector is very experienced with dealing with age restricted products such as alcohol and tobacco, with established checks such as Challenge 25, till prompts and refusal registers, there is less confidence that other outlets are complying to the new rules.
“Before the ban, SGF raised concerns about the lack of public awareness and clarity around the changeover to refillable and rechargeable vapes, and while the vast majority of products will be compliant, it’s not always easy to tell by looking at them," said SGF Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Luke McGarty.
“It's clear that many members of the public do not realise that the ban on disposable vaping products is now in force. So, it’s unfortunate that retailers have been left with the job of explaining to customers the new rules, and we are urging our members to double check that all their stock is compliant with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MRHA).
“Convenience stores in Scotland have worked hard to ‘bake-in’ compliance across the sector, ensuring that the right type of refills are available and that recycling takeback is available for different parts of the product. But the task is made more difficult by a lack of compliance across some other vape sellers.”
As the ban came into force, SGF raised concerns that the change could lead to a rise in illicit trade. It encouraged members of the public to pass any information or suspicions they have about illegal sales to trading standards officers in their region.