General conditions applicable to all health warnings on tobacco productsU.K.
11.—(1) The general conditions referred to in regulations 5(5)(d), 7(3)(f), 9(9)(d) and 10(3)(f) are as follows.
(2) A health warning must cover the entire area that is reserved for it, and must not be commented on or paraphrased.
(3) The dimensions of a health warning must be calculated in relation to the area of the surface concerned when the pack is closed.
(4) A health warning must be—
(a)in English;
(b)fully visible;
(c)indelible;
(d)irremovably printed;
(e)printed on the pack, subject to paragraph (7); and
(f)surrounded by a black border of a width of 1mm inside the area which is reserved for it.
(5) A health warning must remain intact when the pack is opened, subject to paragraph (8).
(6) A health warning must not—
(a)be partially or totally hidden or interrupted by wrappers, jackets or boxes (except in the case of a unit pack presented inside a container pack);
(b)be partially or totally hidden or interrupted by any other item (such as a tax stamp, price mark or security feature); or
(c)partially or totally hide or interrupt any tax stamp, price mark, tracking and tracing mark, security feature or any other marking which is required under or by virtue of any enactment.
(7) In the case of a unit pack of a tobacco product other than cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco in a pouch, the warning may be printed on a sticker affixed to the pack, provided that the sticker is irremovable.
(8) In the case of a unit pack with a flip-top lid, a combined health warning may be split when the pack is opened, but only in a manner which ensures the graphical integrity and visibility of the text, photograph and smoking cessation information in accordance with Article 4 of the Combined Health Warnings Decision M1.
Marginal Citations
M1See regulation 5(5).