FDA Authorization of Flavored Zyn Products Ignores Appeal to Kids and Risks Another Juul

Statement of Yolonda C. Richardson, President and CEO, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The FDA today has set a dangerous precedent that puts the nation's kids at risk by authorizing the sale of 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products with flavors that clearly appeal to kids, including chill, citrus, cool mint and peppermint. The FDA's decision is deeply troubling given the extensive scientific evidence that flavored tobacco products appeal to kids and the fact that nicotine pouches were the only category of tobacco product that saw an increase in youth use last year. The FDA is sanctioning a flavored tobacco product that is already increasing in popularity with kids and repeating the mistakes it made with Juul that resulted in the youth e-cigarette epidemic.

The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that the number of U.S. youth using nicotine pouch products has more than doubled in recent years, from 200,000 in 2021 to 480,000 in 2024. Rather than taking action to head off further increases and prevent Zyn from becoming the next Juul, the FDA has ignored the warning signs and created serious risk that youth use of nicotine pouch products will continue to increase.

The FDA should not be authorizing the sale of any flavored tobacco products given the tobacco industry's well-documented history of using flavored products to appeal to and addict kids and the fact that 87% of youth tobacco users in the U.S. use flavored products. It's not surprising that youth use of nicotine pouch products like Zyn is on the rise as these products share many of the characteristics of Juul and other e-cigarettes. In addition to being sold in kid-friendly flavors, Zyn and other nicotine pouches are easy to hide, heavily promoted on social media and deliver large amounts of nicotine that can quickly addict kids.

Zyn and other nicotine pouch products pose a substantial threat to the health of our kids. The U.S. Surgeon General has found that youth use of nicotine in any form is unsafe, can cause addiction and can harm adolescent brain development, particularly the parts of the brain responsible for attention, memory and learning. It is distressing that, in authorizing these flavored products, the FDA apparently discounted the views of major public health and medical organizations, as expressed in a letter sent last year to FDA about the dangers of these products to young people.

It is important to note that today's FDA action does not allow Zyn to be marketed with any claims that it is FDA-approved or that it poses reduced health risks compared to other tobacco products. It is also concerning that Zyn is sold by a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, a tobacco giant that sells the world's best-selling cigarette in Marlboro and that has a long history of marketing tobacco products in ways that appeal to kids.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids