JTI-Macdonald issues voluntary product recall
Out of “an abundance of caution,” JTI-Macdonald Corp. is voluntarily recalling a specific batch of Vantage Special (Vantage Spécial) King Size 25 cigarettes distributed in Ontario.
In a statement, the company explained it was “informed by Health Canada that a very small production batch of Vantage Special KS 25s may not meet the requirements of the Cigarette Ignition Propensity (Consumer Products) Regulations (CIPRs).”
This means that these cigarettes may not self-extinguish as they are required to by law.
The company emphasized that this “is an isolated case and no other batches of Vantage Special KS 25 nor any other JTI-Macdonald brands are affected.”
JTI issued the recall out of an abundance of caution, Elaine McKay, head of corporate affairs and communications for JTI-Macdonald told Convenience Store News Canada, adding that neither JTI nor Health Canada have received any enquiries, complaints or reports of incidents or injuries relating to this batch.
Health Canada also emphasized this: "As of December 7, 2022, the company has received no reports of incidents and no reports of injuries in Canada."
JTI-Macdonald conducted parallel sampling and representative testing of the same production batch and concluded that products did meet the CIPR regulations, however, as a precaution, it decided to nonetheless recall this specific batch of Vantage Special KS 25.
The situation involves 656 packs (82 cartons), which may have been sold to consumers in Ontario only. The products in question have a traceability code on the pack that starts with 092.
What does this mean for convenience operators?
“We are working closely with our Ontario trade partners to make sure they know how to identify the impacted product and know exactly what to do," says McKay.
In the meantime, retailers can take action by ceasing to sell the affected products and removing them from the sales area.
For products already sold, retailers can direct consumers to call JTI’s consumer response line, the company will verify whether or not the specific pack in question is part of the recall and, if so, send the consumer a paid envelope in which they can return the product and, with age verification, the consumer will be sent replacement product.
Health Canada testing initiative
Since October 2005, Health Canada has been monitoring compliance with the Cigarette Ignition Propensity Regulations. Essentially, the goal is to help prevent fires starting from burning cigarettes left unattended.
In a statement on its website, Health Canada noted: "The Cigarette Ignition Propensity (Consumer Products) Regulations require that when tested, all cigarettes manufactured in or imported into Canada must burn their full length no more than 25% of the time. Cigarettes that do not meet the performance requirements pose an increased fire hazard. Cigarettes that are dropped onto furniture, bedding or other textile products may cause a fire to start."
Health Canada echoed JTI's instructions, advising consumers to immediately stop using the cigarettes and contact JTI-Macdonald Corp. to return the product for a replacement.
In addition to pulling items from the shelf, c-store operators can direct customers who already purchased the product to contact JTI-Macdonald Corp. at 1-800-363-0490 or [email protected].
