Food and consumer product safety organisation NVWA has said it will look into the financial support new tobacconists are receiving from cigarette makers, reports DutchNews.

The investigation comes after food industry publication Distrifood claimed that cigarette maker Philip Morris International (PMI) was giving money to people that were opening new specialised tobacco shops after a ban was introduced to stop supermarkets from selling cigarettes. The ban led to a number of specialist cigarette shops being opened in direct vicinity of the supermarkets.
The NVWA will now investigate whether potential financial support from cigarette makers such as PMI falls under illegal advertising. Advertising for cigarettes, including promotion, sponsoring and marketing are banned in the Netherlands, reports DutchNews.
“A lot of adult smokers will be looking for new outlets,” a Philip Morris spokesperson told Distrifood. “We are very willing to work with those entrepreneurs who share our vision of the future,” he said.