The National Standardization Agency (BSN) is currently formulating standards for other tobacco processed products (HPTL) to protect consumers amid the array of HPTL products circulating in Indonesia.

Director of Development of Agro, Chemical, Health, and Halal Standards of National BSN, Wahyu Purbowasito, noted that his side had completed working on the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) for heated tobacco products (HTP).

BSN is still working on the regulation for other HPTL products, such as e-cigarettes. Purbowasito emphasized that his key focus was standardization for e-cigarette liquids. “Regulation for e-liquid is still in the concept form. There is also a proposal for chewable tobacco,” he stated on Saturday.

Purbowasito later explained that standardization for HPTL products was conducted to ensure that those circulating in Indonesia were in accordance with the specifications in SNI.

Thus, Purbowasito believes that consumers can be protected from potential risks due to products that failed to align with the regulations.

“If there is no standard, then ingredients used in the products cannot be controlled. Moreover, the prohibited products are difficult to control once they enter the market,” Purbowasito pointed out. Chairman of the National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) Rizal E. Halim remarked that with the SNI license, the public has a reference to make decisions in buying a tobacco product.

“This is because buying goods without SNI is risky for customers. We already have a regulation on that. It is better to buy the SNI ones,” Halim emphasized.

According to Law Number 20 of 2014 on Standardization and Conformity Assessment, the SNI aims to provide protection to consumers in addition to ensuring fair trade and boosting competitiveness among producers.

Source: Antara News