Canton of Vaud: 30 % establishments sell tobacco to minors

Inspired by mystery shopping methods, the Swiss canton of Vaud's "test purchase" initiative aims to monitor the effectiveness of the ban on the sale of tobacco products to minors. Sales violations were observed in 30 retail outlets, particularly those with vending machines. Two-thirds of the outlets were also found to be in breach of regulatory signage.

On May 15, 2023, the canton of Vaud, which includes Lausanne, launched its "test purchase" campaign on tobacco products, based on the model of so-called "mystery shopper" studies.

Of the 1,692 tobacco product sales outlets in this canton, 400 were randomly selected and 393 were visited.[1]Young people aged 14 to 17, trained for the occasion and supervised by adults, including police officers, attempted to purchase tobacco at these outlets. The results were then processed by Addiction Switzerland. The operation is expected to be repeated annually until 2026.

Violations vary depending on the point of sale

When the seller asks the age of the adolescent tester, the latter must indicate his or her real age. If an ID is requested, the adolescent must respond that he or she does not have it on him or her, in particular to avoid revealing his or her identity. He or she must also not insist if the sale is refused. In 68.4% of cases, an age check was carried out and resulted in a sale in 30% of cases. This sales rate climbs to 44.8% for purchases made in bars, cafes, hotels, and restaurants, while it is 17.5% in supermarkets and 28.4% in convenience stores.

The presence of a vending machine within the perimeter of the point of sale had a significant influence. 73.8% of "test purchases" were attempted from a salesperson, compared to 26.2% through a vending machine. Age control was carried out in 72.4% of cases when it was a salesperson in a store without a vending machine, and resulted in a sale in 24.1% of cases; when the sale involved a vending machine, age control concerned 57.3% of cases and the sale was made in 46.6% of cases.

Two vending machine monitoring systems were tested: one involved both a token, issued by the vendor most often without control, and an ID reader; the other included only an ID reader. Sales to minors were higher with the token system, which did not systematically require ID verification once the token was inserted. The system that only verified ID appeared more effective. Ultimately, 40.7% of the tobacco sales to minors recorded were made via an ATM. Cantonal law, however, stipulates that operators must monitor vending machines.

Regulatory display control

Regulatory signs indicating that tobacco sales are prohibited to minors were also checked. In 56.7% of the points of sale visited, these signs were absent, and they were difficult to find in 11.5% of them. Only a small third of the points of sale (31.7%) had visible regulatory signs.

This "test purchase" campaign confirms, according to the study's leaders, the need to rigorously monitor points of sale to better enforce the ban on tobacco sales to minors. In the event of a violation, a letter reminding the operator of the law was sent, along with regulatory stickers to be displayed at the point of sale.

The results are close to those of a similar operation, conducted in 2022 in the same canton, which estimated the proportion of alcohol sales to minors at 33.5% of cases.[2].

In France, a study by the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) showed that 64% of tobacconists agree to sell cigarettes to minors, with this proportion rising to 77% in large cities.

Keywords: Vaud, test purchases, sales to minors, ATMs

MF

[1] Test purchases of tobacco by minors in the canton of Vaud – 2023, Swiss Addiction/FVA/Unisanté, information sheet, November 2023

[2] Alcohol test purchases: poor results show the limits of the current system, Addiction Switzerland, published June 30, 2022, accessed May 16, 2023