The Commission vote to accept the proposed consent agreement for public comment was 4-0 with Commissioner Orson Swindle issuing the following concurring statement: "I have voted to accept this consent agreement for public comment because the remedies, including a corrective statement in Winston advertisements for one year, are warranted by the facts of this case. The Secretary is required to keep this information confidential, but to report to Congress information about any ingredient that the Secretary believes to pose a health risk to smokers. In 1984, Congress amended the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to require cigarette manufacturers to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services a list of all ingredients added to the cigarettes they manufacture. Reynolds also would have to instruct each of its sales representatives to remove or sticker, with the applicable disclosure, any advertisement displayed in a retail establishment representing that Winston cigarettes have no additives. The proposed settlement requires that the disclosure must be placed in a rectangular box 40 percent of the size of the Surgeon General's warning, in a clear and prominent location. The disclosure is not required if Reynolds has scientific evidence demonstrating that its "no additives" cigarette poses materially lower health risks than other cigarettes. Thereafter, the disclosure must be included in all Winston advertising that represents (through such phrases as "no additives" or "100% tobacco") that the product has no additives. According to the proposed order, the disclosure must be included in all advertising for Winston no-additive cigarettes, regardless of whether that advertising contains a "no additives" claim, for a period of one year beginning no later than July 15, 1999. The proposed settlement would require Reynolds to include a disclosure in most advertising for Winston or any other tobacco products Reynolds advertises as having no additives. Among other reasons, the agency alleged, the smoke from Winston cigarettes, like the smoke from all cigarettes, contains numerous carcinogens and toxins. The complaint alleges that Reynolds did not have a reasonable basis for the representations at the time they were made. While some additives are used to affect the taste of the cigarette, others are thought to affect the physical properties of the cigarette, such as its burn rate.Īccording to the FTC's complaint outlining the charges, Reynolds represented that because they contain no additives, Winston cigarettes are less hazardous than otherwise comparable cigarettes that contain additives. The use of ingredients other than tobacco in the manufacture of cigarettes has been a matter of some concern for a number of years, the FTC said. Frankly, there's no such thing as a 'Safe Smoke.'" Under the settlement, which the FTC has accepted for public comment, Reynolds has agreed to make the following prominent disclosure in future Winston ads: "No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette."Īccording to the FTC's Director of Consumer Protection Jodie Bernstein, "Reynolds' disclosure should clear up any misconception that cigarettes without additives are safer to smoke than other cigarettes. The agency alleged that Reynolds implied in its advertisements, without a reasonable basis, that Winston cigarettes are safer to smoke because they contain no additives. has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its ads for Winston "no additives"cigarettes are deceptive. About the FTC Show/hide About the FTC menu items.News and Events Show/hide News and Events menu items.Advice and Guidance Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items.Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents.Enforcement Show/hide Enforcement menu items.
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