FDA announces its first OK of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for adults
AP News • • business
Key Points:
- The FDA authorized fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for adult smokers for the first time, marking a significant policy shift after appeals from the vaping industry and amid declining teen vaping rates.
- The approved flavors include mango, blueberry, and two menthol varieties, marketed by Glas Inc. with digital age-verification measures to prevent underage use.
- Health groups and parent organizations oppose the move, citing concerns that flavors drive underage vaping, though the FDA emphasized the products are intended only for adults trying to quit or reduce smoking.
- This authorization comes after previous FDA approvals were limited to tobacco or menthol flavors, and follows a broader regulatory context including past flavor restrictions and recent industry guidance on flavors appealing to adult smokers.
- Despite the crackdown on flavored vaping products, unauthorized fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes remain widely available to teens, often through inexpensive disposable brands imported from China.
