Kenya confirms its rejection of BAT's new 'Lyft' product

The Kenyan branch of British American Tobacco (BAT) launched tobacco-free nicotine pouches called Lyft in July 2019, which have been a big hit with young people.[1]BAT's pressure to reintroduce these products into the Kenyan market after their ban illustrates the manufacturer's practices and the tobacco industry's broader strategy to renew and expand its markets.

Lyft is one of the new products from tobacco company BAT, presented as a cigarette substitute and available in several fruity flavors. Marketed in the form of small lozenges, this tobacco-free nicotine product was sold for a year in supermarkets, small businesses, and online. Its rapid success among young people and its illegal marketing led the Kenyan government to suspend its sale a year later, in September 2020.

BAT marketed its Lyft products without prior authorization in July 2019, directly targeting the youth and minor market. To do so, the manufacturer obtained a marketing agreement issued by the Bureau of Pharmacy and Poisons, which has since been recognized as illegal by the government.

Pressure on the Kenyan government

In an attempt to reintroduce these products, BAT exerted considerable pressure on the government to ensure that they were not considered – and, more importantly, regulated and taxed – as tobacco products. On March 29, 2021, the manufacturer renewed this pressure in order to be quickly authorized to put these products back on sale, to advertise them, and to sell 400,000 boxes before their expiration date. Civil society health actors then highlighted the numerous relationships between the Ministry of Health and the manufacturer since these products had been declared illegal.[2].

Local anti-smoking associations have alerted authorities to the risks associated with the sale of this product, which could undermine the anti-smoking program. "This product shouldn't even be on the market. We shouldn't reward a tobacco company by allowing it to sell an illegal product." " said a representative of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (KETCA) pointing to manufacturers who think they can circumvent the laws.

Risk reduction, the industry's new battle horse

BAT's actions in Kenya to market Lyft typify the tobacco industry's illegal behavior and current new product strategy. In this case, it involves introducing a new product onto the market outside of any legal framework, attempting to differentiate it from other tobacco products, and lobbying the government for sales exemptions, all after selling the product to minors and illegally obtaining approval from a government agency.

One of BAT's main arguments for being allowed to advertise these tobacco-free products was to inform cigarette smokers and attract them to supposedly less harmful products. This so-called "harm reduction" strategy, similar to that of heated tobacco devices, seeks to make people believe that the industry is working hard to develop products that are less harmful to health. Internal company documents show that, contrary to their statements, the manufacturers have no intention of giving up profits from cigarettes, which continue and will continue to be sold. The new nicotine products are primarily there to win over new consumers and to maintain the addiction of those who would like to quit smoking.[3]Using fruity flavors to attract younger consumers is one of the tobacco industry's classic ploys.