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** 8 October 2020
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** UK
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** Imperial Brands see financial year revenue flat (#1)
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** Only 3% sugar cut out from food products in three years, PHE finds (#2)
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** Wales: Young people vape less but still smoke (#3)
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** Scotland: MSPs vote to reject UK internal market bill (#4)
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** International
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** Study: Lobbyists for Big Tobacco slip through EU loopholes (#5)
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** Australia: Queenslanders can reduce skin tumour risk by drinking less and giving up smoking, study finds (#6)
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** UK
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British tobacco company Imperial Brands on Thursday has said that revenue from its next-generation division, which includes vape pen Blu, will drop by nearly a third this year as it reduced investment in the products. Customers bought more tobacco from Imperial than it had initially expected, as they shifted more of their spending towards its products during the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth was predominantly driven by the US and a few European countries.

The company now expects net revenue from the next-generation products portfolio to drop by 30%, after accounting for changing currency exchange rates.

Earnings per share are also set to fall 6% due to additional COVID-19-related manufacturing costs and uncertainties.

Source: CITY A.M, 8 October 2020
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** The food industry has cut out only 3% of sugar from supermarket, cafe and restaurant products over the last three years, according to a report from Public Health England (PHE) that has triggered calls for taxes or other compulsory measures to be introduced.

PHE launched its flagship sugar reduction programme in 2016 with a mission to help reduce childhood obesity levels by introducing a voluntary target for the food industry to remove 20% of sugar by 2020. But the third year of data, gathered before the coronavirus outbreak, suggests the target is unattainable without a “big stick” such as taxation.

A levy on sugar in soft drinks has been a success. The PHE report says sugar levels in lemonades, colas and other soft drinks have fallen by 44% since 2015, with many companies taking out sugar to avoid the tax. But while sugar content in breakfast cereals, yoghurts and fromage frais has come down by about 13% since 2015, there is “little or no reduction” in many other food categories, says PHE. Sugar levels in chocolates and sweets are unchanged, and sales have gone up, so the total amount of sugar being bought in those two confectionery groups has risen by 16% and 7% respectively.

Caroline Cerny, of the Obesity Health Alliance, called for more stringent action. She said: “It’s clear from this report that the food industry is unable or unwilling to reformulate voluntarily, and it’s now time for a different approach.”

Helen Dickens, an assistant director of policy at Diabetes UK, called for the government to be brave and bold. She said: “Clearly, the government’s voluntary approach is not working. The government has recently committed to a new, bold obesity strategy, but it didn’t contain any new commitments around cutting sugars and their actions in this area, thus far, have been insufficient.”

Source: The Guardian, 7 October 2020

See also: PHE - Sugar reduction: report on progress between 2015 and 2019 ([link removed])
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** E-cigarette use among young people has fallen for the first time in Wales, according to research by Cardiff University. But the decline in 11 to 16-year-olds smoking has stalled, the study found.

The 2019 Student Health and Wellbeing Survey asked more than 100,000 11-16 year olds pupils from 198 secondary schools in Wales about their smoking and vaping behaviours. The findings show 22% of young people had tried an e-cigarette, down from 25% in 2017. Those vaping weekly or more often had also declined from 3.3% to 2.5% over the same period. By law, shops should not sell vaping products to anyone under the age of 18.

Experimenting with vaping is still more popular than trying tobacco (11%), according to the data. But the long-term decline in those regularly smoking had stalled, with 4% of those surveyed smoking at least weekly in 2019, the same level as in 2013. Young people from poorer backgrounds were still more likely to start smoking than those from richer families, according to the findings.

Suzanne Cass, chief executive of ASH Wales, said: “With e-cigarette usage falling amongst young people, this evidence demonstrates that vaping is not a public health concern.” She said the focus should be on: “addressing the unacceptable smoking levels amongst young people. Sadly, smoking is a lifelong addiction that all too often begins in childhood and we know from our own research that 81% of adult smokers in Wales were 18 or under when they had their first cigarette.”

Source: BBC News, 8 October 2020

See also: Student Health and Well-being Survey (youth smoking and vaping in Wales): 2019 ([link removed])
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** Members of the Scottish Parliaments (MSPs) have voted not to consent to the UK government’s legislation to set up an “internal market” after Brexit.

Constitution Secretary Mike Russell said the bill would “fundamentally undermine” the Scottish Parliament. However, the Scottish Tories argued that the legislation would protect jobs and deliver “significant” new powers. MSPs voted by 90 to 28 to say that parliament “agrees not to consent” to the UK legislation as it “constrains the competence of the Scottish Parliament and breaches international law.”

Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said the vote was disappointing as the internal market bill was in the “best interests of people across Scotland.”

Michael Russell has called on the UK government to withdraw the legislation.

Source: BBC News, 7 October 2020
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** International
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** Tobacco industry lobbyists are exploiting loopholes in the European Union’s (EU) transparency requirements for public consultations, a study from the University of Bath suggests.

The study reveals that 66% of submissions to an EU consultation about a tobacco tracking system were from companies with financial links to the tobacco industry. More than 22% of those did not declare the link. The researchers found that trade associations that represented tobacco companies were able to make submissions without revealing who their members were. Almost nine in ten, of the trade associations that took part had financial links to the tobacco industry, but 26% of those did not disclose them.

The study found that of the 74 trade associations with a financial link to the tobacco industry, British American Tobacco, the London-based FTSE 100 company, was a member of the most (22), followed by Japan Tobacco International (20), Philip Morris International (19) and Imperial Brands (17).

Allen Gallagher, of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, said: “The EU’s public consultation on tracking and tracing is a clear example of the tobacco industry creating the impression of majority support for a policy that favours tobacco industry interests. This was often achieved in a way that was not transparent.”

Source: The Times, 7 October 2020

See also: BMJ - Analysis of submissions to the EU’s public consultation on tobacco traceability and security features ([link removed])
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** Australians who are found to be drinking excessively and smoking are increasing their chances of getting skin cancer, according to a new study.

A study of 40,438 Queenslanders over four years conducted by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute found those two factors were common in those who developed cancer. Along with the warm Queensland sun, smoking and drinking were found to drastically increase the chances of people developing the skin tumour keratoacanthoma.

Senior study author and researcher Catherine Olsen warned Queenslanders that not only do they need to take precautions when they are out in the sun, but also to stop smoking and drink moderately. Dr Olsen said the consumption of 14 or more alcoholic drinks a week — considered excessive drinking — put Queenslanders at greater risk of tumours, in addition to the risk from smoking.

Source: Daily Mail, 8 October 2020

See also: JAMA Dermatology - Assessment of Incidence Rate and Risk Factors for Keratoacanthoma Among Residents of Queensland, Australia ([link removed])
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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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