The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has launched a public protest in Berlin against the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s plan to ban e-cigarette flavors. Timed with World Vape Day, the advocacy group used a public ice cream stand to highlight the consequences of removing flavors from harm-reduction products.
During the event, the WVA offered pedestrians a choice between flavored and flavorless ice cream. The visual voting board quickly proved the group’s point: almost no one chose the unflavored option.
WVA Director Michael Landl emphasized that flavors are not a trick to attract youth, but a vital tool that has helped millions of adults quit smoking. He warned that the proposed amendment to the Tobacco Products Directive would act as a de facto flavor ban.
“Nobody wants flavorless ice cream, and nobody wants flavorless e-cigarettes,” Landl stated. He cautioned that eliminating these products will push consumers back to traditional smoking or the unregulated black market.
The WVA is urgently calling on the German government to abandon the proposed flavor ban and instead implement proportionate, sensible regulations.
