Websites selling the cheroots told to stop sales.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to two online Indian retailers of “beedis” (Indian cigarettes), telling them to immediately stop selling the products as they are “adulterated” tobacco products.
The two websites in question are desismoke.com and wasntsmokes.com. They both sell Indian cigarettes and flavored beedis, which contain types of tobacco that the FDA deem unsafe for consumption in the US (or at least less safe than normal tobacco products generally are). The FDA claims that several products sold by the websites are either adulterated or mislabeled as “modified risk tobacco products,” a designation that requires an FDA permit, which was never issued.
As per the US Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, because beedis and the other products sold by the websites meet the definition of what a “cigarette” is, they fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA, which has the ability to shut the online retailers down and criminally prosecute them if they do not adhere to the warning issued in the letter.
Recently, the FDA filed warning against 15 companies based in India who were selling dietary supplement pills in the US that were either improperly labeled, sold, or did not meet FDA requirements.
Companies that are issued warning letters by the FDA are required to submit, in writing, a reply in which they agree to conform to the demands made by the administration. Failure to reply or adhere to the warning results in disciplinary action.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com