Morrisons rolls out nationwide ban in UK supermarkets after Tesco and Sainsbury’s do same

The Elf Bar 600 was found to have at least 50 per cent more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid

(iStock)

Morrisons has banned the sale of popular e-cigarette Elf Bars from its stores nationwide.

The food retailer has taken the action following concerns regarding the legal compliance of the Elf Bar 600 disposable electronic cigarettes with the UK’s trading standards, banning the entire range from its stores.

It comes after the watermelon flavour of the Elf Bar 600, a product made by the Chinese electronic cigarette manufacturer Elf Bar, was found to have at least 50 per cent more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid.

Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have reportedly removed the affected watermelon Elf bars from shelves, but other flavours remain on the shelves.

A Morrisons spokesperson told ITV News: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the legal compliance of Elf Bar 600 disposable electronic cigarettes with Trading Standards, we have made the decision to remove all flavoured variants from sale.”

“The products will only be returned to sale once stock that fully complies with UK legislation becomes available”.

The thin, brightly coloured, disposable vapes are popular among young people.

Tesco has temporarily removed one Elf Bar vape line, the watermelon flavour, from sale as a precautionary measure, while the manufacturer investigates the claims. Other vape products made by the company are still for sale.

Vaping by a man in a street in Auckland, New Zealand on 9 December 2021 (AP)

Fellow leading supermarket Asda did not say whether it had removed the product.

Asda confirmed to ITV News that it was working with the supplier to investigate the matter.

Dan Judd, head of digital for Vape Superstore, one of the leading online vape suppliers in the UK told The Independent last year that Elf Bars are the most popular vapes on sale. “Elf Bar sales have grown exponentially, with around a 450 per cent increase in the last six months,” he said at the time. “We have also seen a new type of customer who is only buying disposable devices.”

The most popular pen, the Elf Bar 600, is disposable and comes pre-filled with 20mg of nicotine salt liquid infused into the flavoured e-liquid. They last for around 600 puffs per bar, with prices starting as low as £4.95 at most retailers, or five bars for £20.

The Independent has contacted representatives of Morrisons for comment.