Health Group Advocates for Bigger Warning Label on Cigarette Packs|菸害警示圖擬改版 民團籲放大至85%

The warning labels, including the messages and pictures, on cigarette packs have not been updated for five years. In order to make them more effective, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced that it will update the labels. However, a local health group says that changing the labels is not enough and that requires warning to cover from 35 percent to 85 percent of a pack.


Smoking affects oral health and accelerates the aging of skin. It could also increase the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease of the smokers and those around them. This information is printed on all cigarette packs for sale in Taiwan. Many have criticized that the accompanying warning labels are not realistic or big enough. In order to increase the effectiveness of the warning messages on tobacco products, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced their plan on the government's public voting platform to update the warning.

Researches have shown that the educational material on tobacco hazards must see frequent updates. The current warning labels haven't seen any update in the last 5 years. So we're currently thinking about changing it according to international standards.

The Health Promotion Administration says that the warning labels on tobacco products have not been updated in 5 years. It also says that the World Health Organization states that the warning labels must have decent variety and be updated frequently in order to be effective. However, John Tung Foundation believes it's not enough to update the messages and labels, the pictures on the warning labels need to cover 85 percent of a pack, instead of the present 35 percent. The foundation also advocates the use of a more subdued color palettes on the cigarette packs. It says that, in term of the area or space covered by warning labels on cigarette packs, Taiwan is currently ranked 115th and is the fourth lowest in the world. The ranking has fallen from 21st place 10 years ago.

The (HPA's) latest plan will only change the mild warnings to a more realistic one. But the labels are still very small (covering 35 percent of the packaging surface area). Although it's clearly printed, someone my age still can't read it without a magnifying glass.

According to the Health Promotion Administration, the amendment bill for the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which is currently waiting for approval at the Legislature, already includes an article that proposes to increase the area of the warning label to 85 percent of the total packing area. The next step is to wait for the Legislature to hold discussion on the subject.