Retailers have been informed by Booker that it has withdrawn Lost Mary BM600 disposable pods. The compact vapes are made by Elf Bar, which also makes Elf Bar disposable vapes.
All Elf Bar 600 Disposable pods were withdrawn from Booker earlier this month after an investigation by the Daily Mail found some Elf Bar products contained tank capacities above the legal limit for the UK market.
Convenience and forecourt supplier DSL has also withdrawn Elf Bar 600. “Due to the recent news and investigation regarding Elf Bar and their Elf Bar 600 range containing a higher tank capacity beyond the 2ml legal limit for liquid, we at DSL have decided to voluntarily withdraw the Elf Bar 600 range from sale for the foreseeable future until this issue has been fully resolved and the product becomes TPD and CLP fully compliant with UK regulations,” said the group.
The Elf Bar 600 products were also removed from sale at Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda.
A Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) spokesperson told Convenience Store: “We can confirm that we met with the manufacturer of Elf Bar 600 following a non-compliance issue whereby some products were found to exceed the permitted e-liquid fill level. They have committed to withdrawing the product from the market until compliance can be achieved.
“While there is no immediate risk to safety from using one of these products, we would advise anyone concerned with their Elf Bar 600 (Watermelon, Cola, Strawberry Ice) to return the goods to the retail outlet of purchase.”
Elf Bar told Convenience Store’s sister title The Grocer that the voluntary withdrawal of the affected products from the market agreed with the MHRA was not being made on safety grounds, but under UK tobacco-related product regulations.
“This complicates the process of defining and planning a withdrawal of this magnitude, as a voluntary withdrawal of this type has never been made under these regulations before,” said the firm. “We are of course supporting our importers to the best of our abilities and urgency.”
Elf Bar added: “We must be clear that a recall of the product has not been discussed or agreed, as no risk to consumers due to the non-compliance in question has been identified. It is our understanding that a recall would only be required if any issues relating to consumer safety were identified.”
The company said it would continue to work with UK importers of its products to “better understand and define what a voluntary withdrawal under the UK tobacco-related product regulations entails”.
Other Lost Mary suppliers, including Aquavape and Vape Supplier, have been contacted for comment on the situation.
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