A Herbert Smith Freehills partner claims that Australian legislation requiring graphic health warnings on tobacco could lead to other products being made to include similar labels.

Benjamin Rubinstein of HSF represents British American Tobacco in a case against the World Trade Organisation concerning health warning labels and plain packaging on tobacco products. Rubinstein cautioned that changes to tobacco labelling often preceded changes to the way other products are packaged. He said that fatty foods and alcohol could be next in being forced to include warning labels. Rubinstein added "often tobacco, whether it's litigation or regulation, is the canary in the coal mine". Which is an unfortunate analogy to smoking, given the canary dies inhaling noxious fumes.

 










Graphic health warnings on junk food and booze - how it might look.
   



Rubinstein went on to say that litigation can "jump the border like a virus", and when a particular country introduces packaging legislation, others often follow. For example, after Australia passed plain packaging laws on tobacco in 2011, the UK and other countries started to bring in similar measures.
Tip Off ROF

Comments

Anonymous 31 July 15 09:02

This is pretty lazy. HSF may well represent BAT but it does not represent it 'against the World Trade Organisation [sic].' Only Member States can bring actions at the WTO and they do so against other Member States. The litigation currently under way is against Australia, not the WTO itself. The complainant is Ukraine and there are a whole host of third states joined to the proceedings. Get it right ROF.

Anonymous 31 July 15 12:50

Heh. funny pictures. Those craft organic beers in a pop-up microbrewery aren't going to look so trendy in a hipster's hand when they have to feature a destroyed liver on the label.

Roll On Friday 31 July 15 14:14

this is worth a watch on the topic:

[a]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UsHHOCH4q8[/a]