09 February 2023 , 08:25
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Supermarkets in the UK are removing a popular vaping product from sale after it was found to exceed maximum nicotine levels.
An investigation found watermelon flavoured Elf Bar 600s had at least 50% over the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid.
The major big four UK supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, did stock the vapes.
However, after the discovery, Tesco announced it had “temporarily removed” the product from sale in its stores as a “precautionary measure” while the manufacturer urgently investigated the claims.
Sainsbury's also followed suit issuing a statement that it too had "temporarily removed" the vape product.
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Watermelon flavoured Elf Bar 600s had at least 50% over the legal limit for nicotine e-liquidFellow supermarket Morrisons said it was to remove the sale of all the Elf Bar 600 vapes products as part of its ongoing investigation.
A Morrisons spokesperson added: "The products will only be returned to sale once stock that fully complies with UK legislation becomes available."
Asda has not confirmed it will remove the product from sale, however, it is working with the supplier.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We have temporarily removed one Elf Bar vape line from sale as a precautionary measure, whilst the manufacturer urgently investigates these claims.”
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: “We are in close contact with our supplier and have temporarily removed the affected Elf Bar product whilst they investigate further.”
An Asda spokesperson said: "We are working closely with this supplier whilst they carry out a full investigation into this matter.”
Elf Bar, which launched in 2021, sells around 2.5million disposable 600s in the UK every week, and accounts for two in three of all disposable vapes. The devices cost £5.99 each.
According to UK law, the amount of nicotine liquid in a vape is legally limited to 2ml with a maximum nicotine strength of 2%.
However, the test conducted by the Daily Mail on three flavours of Elf Vap 600 products found they had 3ml and 3.2ml of nicotine levels.
The Elf Bar 600 products were bought at Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons branches in London, Derby and Sheffield.
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A spokesman for Elf Bar told the Daily Mail: “We found out that some batches of the Elf Bar product have been overfilled in the UK.
“It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets [such as the US], have been inadvertently fitted to some of our UK products. We wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.”
The Chinese company added it would alert retailers and review its production process and insisted the "highly regrettable situation" did not compromise the product's safety.
This comes as Waitrose banned the sale of single-use vaping products in its stores last month, as a result of their negative impact on the environment and the health of young people.