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** 7 August 2026
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** UK
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** Opinion: Food industry legal challenges likened to tobacco tactics (#1) #1
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** Diageo unveils $1bn savings plan to support turnaround (#2) #2
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** International
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** India: Nicotine gum reduces withdrawal symptoms in smokeless tobacco users (#3)
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** Links of the Week
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** ASH blog: JTI’s illicit tobacco claims don’t add up (#4)
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** DHSC resources: Stoptober 2026 - 'Let's Quit Smoking Together' (#5)
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** Podcast episode: Let’s talk e-cigarettes (#6)
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** UK
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** Opinion: Food industry legal challenges likened to tobacco tactics
Writing for The Guardian, Special Correspondent Felicity Lawrence discusses how manufacturers of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are increasingly using legal action to oppose public health measures, arguing that the industry's approach mirrors tactics historically used by the tobacco industry to delay regulation.
Lawrence cites a report claiming the food industry and associated lobbying groups have filed 235 lawsuits against governments since 2010, amounting to 595 years of litigation, with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Mondelēz among the leading plaintiffs. She argues that this litigation has delayed measures such as marketing restrictions, clearer labelling and sugary drink taxes despite growing evidence of diet-related harm.
Lawrence concludes that governments should continue introducing incremental public health policies, arguing that the industry's willingness to challenge such measures through the courts demonstrates their potential effectiveness.
Source: The Guardian, 7 August 2026
See also: The Guardian - Ultra-processed food companies hindering health drives by suing countries, says WHO ([link removed])
Editorial note: Media stories covering prevention of ill-health are included in ASH Daily News because policy change in these areas is indicative of the Government’s position on prevention and their attitudes to harm-causing industries.
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** Diageo unveils $1bn savings plan to support turnaround
Diageo will cut around $1 billion in costs over the next three years as chief executive Sir Dave Lewis seeks to revive growth at the Guinness and Johnnie Walker owner following weaker demand, particularly in the US. The programme includes $850 million in restructuring savings and a further $150 million from supply chain improvements, with thousands of jobs expected to be lost.
The strategy accompanies annual results showing organic sales fell 2% to $19.6 billion, while operating profit dropped 27.2% to $3.15 billion.
Source: The Times, 6 August 2026
Editorial note: Media stories covering prevention of ill-health are included in ASH Daily News because policy change in these areas is indicative of the Government’s position on prevention and their attitudes to harm-causing industries.
This article has been included to provide insight into market trends and industry developments.
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** International
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** India: Nicotine gum reduces withdrawal symptoms in smokeless tobacco users
Nicotine gum was more effective than behavioural counselling at easing withdrawal symptoms in adults trying to quit smokeless tobacco – products such as gutka, khaini, paan masala and zarda that are chewed or placed in the mouth rather than smoked.
In a randomised trial of 100 participants, 90% of nicotine gum users were free of cravings at the end of treatment compared with 34% of those receiving counselling, while 98% versus 54% were free of anxiety. However, quit rates were similar, with 46% of nicotine gum users and 40% of counselling participants remaining abstinent after six months.
Researchers from Siksha O Anusandhan University said larger studies are needed to determine whether improved withdrawal management translates into higher long-term cessation rates.
Source: News-Medical, 7 August 2026
See also: Pradhan, S., et al. Effectiveness of nicotine gum for intervention and role of behavior counselling for smokeless tobacco cessation in adults in a dental setting: A randomized control trial. ([link removed]) 2026.
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** Links of the Week
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** ASH blog: JTI’s illicit tobacco claims don’t add up
This blog from ASH Policy and Public Affairs Manager John Waldron explains why Japan Tobacco International’s latest claims about the illicit tobacco market do not add up. John explains that the headline claim from JTI that 31% of people in the UK have been offered illicit tobacco appears to overestimate the size of the problem by around 90%.
He argues that this is part of a well-established industry strategy of exploiting concerns about the illicit market to lobby against tobacco control measures – in this case the upcoming tobacco duty increase – while positioning tobacco companies as essential partners in enforcement.
John concludes that the most effective way to reduce demand for all forms of tobacco, both legal and illegal, is to support more people to quit smoking. This means rejecting industry demands to cut taxes on tobacco and weaken regulations, while stepping up efforts to reduce smoking rates and create a smokefree generation.
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** DHSC resources: Stoptober 2026 - 'Let's Quit Smoking Together'
The Department of Health and Social Care has released the Stoptober 2026 campaign resources, which continue the 'Let's Quit Smoking Together' theme while introducing new content on mental health, repeated quit attempts and the benefits of quitting for families.
The resource pack includes campaign materials, a toolkit, content calendar and editable Canva assets for eligible public sector organisations and stop smoking services. Organisations are encouraged to begin promoting the campaign from mid-September to support quit attempts in October.
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** Podcast episode: Let’s talk e-cigarettes
This episode of the Oxford Podcasts ‘Let’s talk e-cigarettes’ series features Associate Professors Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discussing emerging evidence in e-cigarette research with Dr Stefanie Gratale. The episode explores how ‘natural’ marketing by tobacco companies can shape young people’s views of nicotine products, with research finding that some young people wrongly perceive cigarettes as less harmful than e-cigarettes because tobacco is seen as a natural product.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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