Fresh welcomes national consultation on new tobacco and vaping proposals
Fresh has welcomed a consultation launched today on new proposals (10 July) aimed at reducing the harm caused by tobacco and to prevent vapes from appealing to children.
The Government has launched a UK-wide consultation on a range of new measures, including plain white packaging for vapes and keeping vapes out of sight in shops. The proposals would also restrict flavour names to simple, recognisable descriptions and limit vape devices to white, black, or grey.
The consultation also proposes extending standardised plain packaging to all tobacco products, including heated tobacco, cigars and cigarette rolling papers. Standardised plain packaging, alongside larger health warnings, has helped reduce the appeal of smoking since it was introduced for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco in 2017.
Further proposals include introducing positive quitting inserts inside tobacco packs to promote stop smoking support, as well as removing the existing display exemption for bulk tobacconists, including duty-free shops and airports. This would mean tobacco products could no longer be displayed in these settings.
The consultation follows the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Act sets out measures to create the UK’s first smoke-free generation, protecting children from nicotine addiction while ensuring adult smokers can still access vaping products to help them quit.
The North East has a Declaration for a Smokefree Future, which aims to end the death and disease caused by tobacco. The declaration is supported by local authorities and the North East and North Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “We welcome this consultation and to look at further measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Act, which can help us achieve our North East vision of ending the death and disease caused by tobacco addiction.
“We support action that helps more people quit smoking and prevents future generations from becoming addicted. Alongside regulation, we need sustained public awareness campaigns highlighting the uniquely lethal risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting, no matter how old you are or how often you smoke.
“All tobacco harms health, so it is right that all tobacco products are required to use standardised packaging with health warnings. We also support positive quitting messages inside packs, which could encourage thousands more quit attempts.
“Large tobacco displays in airports undermine UK display restrictions. Seen by thousands of children every year, they can encourage impulse purchases and increase the risk of relapse among former smokers travelling abroad.
“We also support action to address the packaging, promotion and marketing of vapes that have made some products too appealing to children and young people. While vaping is far less harmful than smoking, it is not risk-free, and some products have clearly been designed to attract younger audiences.
“At the same time, nicotine vapes play an important role in helping people quit smoking. It is essential that they remain affordable and accessible for adult smokers who want to switch completely.
“The Government must ensure that measures to reduce youth appeal do not lead to greater confusion about the relative harms of vaping and smoking. Clear public messaging is needed: smoking is uniquely lethal, and quitting remains one of the best things people can do for their health.
“The impact of all these measures should be rigorously monitored, particularly their effect on reducing health inequalities.”
There are more free and effective ways to quit in the North East than ever before from local stop smoking services, to switching to vaping, to the Smoke Free digital support tool. If you’re thinking about quitting, visit FreshQuit.co.uk