FDA sends warning letters to seven online retailers for selling unauthorized vaping products

Because they sold unauthorized vaping products, the FDA has issued warning letters to seven online retailers. The warning letters allege that they sold popular and youth-appealing disposable e-cigarette products, including brands such as Elf Bar, EB Design, Bang, Cali Bars, and Lava.

According to breaking news released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 11, the FDA issued warning letters to seven online retailers for selling unauthorized vaping products. The warning letters allege that they sold popular and youth-appealing disposable e-cigarette products, including brands such as Elf Bar, EB Design, Bang, Cali Bars, and Lava. 

The FDA said these warning letters were issued based on its ongoing monitoring of multiple surveillance systems to identify products that are popular with or appealing to young people. 

According to the results of the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey released last week, more than half of current youth e-cigarette users reported using the disposable e-cigarette brand Elf Bar; earlier this year, Elf Bar’s manufacturer began marketing the product under the “EB Design” brand. In addition, through a review of retail sales data and emerging internal data from youth surveys, the FDA identified Bang, Cali Bars, and Lava as brands that are popular with or appealing to youth. 

Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said:

“The FDA’s enhanced surveillance of the e-cigarette landscape helps us identify products that appeal to youth and take swift action to protect public health. The goal is to identify, prevent, and reduce these risks to our nation’s youth before they escalate further.”