New pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packs from April 2013

NEW DELHI: Tobacco product packs are to carry new pictorial health warnings with effect from 1 April 2013.

According to a Health and Family Welfare Ministry notification dated 27 September, three sets of warnings each have been notified for smoking as well as smokeless forms of tobacco product packages.

The word ‘Warning’ has been inserted in red font. There is provision of maintaining a ratio (075:1) between the vertical length and horizontal length of the health warning to ensure that pictures are not distorted with change in size of packs.

Well-designed health warnings and messages are part of a range of measures to communicate health risks due to tobacco use. Pictorial health warnings communicate health risks in a visible way, provoke a greater emotional response and increase the motivation of tobacco users to quit and to decrease their tobacco consumption.

Graphic warning labels have a greater impact than text-only labels and can be recognised by low-literacy audiences and children.