The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to 189 retailers for selling unauthorized tobacco products, specifically Elf Bar and Esco Bars products, according to an FDA press release.

Elf Bar and Esco Bars produce disposable e-cigarettes that come in flavours such as bubblegum and cotton candy and have both been identified by the FDA as being among the most popular brands in the United States as well as having high youth appeal. The warning letters to the retailers are the result of a nationwide retailer inspection blitz over the past several weeks cracking down on the sale of these unauthorized e-cigarettes, according to the press release.
“The FDA is prepared to use all of its authorities to ensure these, and other illegal and youth-appealing products, stay out of the hands of kids,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “We are committed to a multipronged approach using regulation, compliance and enforcement action and education to protect our nation’s youth.”
Two studies published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report underline the concerns associated with Elf Bar products. The first study shows that the brand is the top disposable e-cigarette brand reported among persons ages 16 to 19 in the US and a second study reports that Elf Bar was cited more than all other brands combined in thousands of e-cigarette exposure cases reported to US poison centres in the past year, most of which were among kids younger than 5 years old.
“All players in the supply chain—including retailers—have a role in keeping illegal e-cigarettes off the shelves,” said Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). “This latest blitz should be a wake-up call for retailers of Elf Bar and Esco Bars products nationwide. If they’re waiting for a personal invitation to comply with the law, they might just get it in the form of a warning letter or other action from the FDA.”