Cigarette Recall Issued

More than 10 million packages of cigarettes have been recalled after they were found to pose a severe hazard to consumers. Health Canada on July 18 announced in a notice that certain packs of Player's, Player's Smooth, and Player's Original regular size cigarettes have been recalled after they were determined to pose "increased fire hazard."

The recall affects Player's, Player's Smooth, and Player's Original which were sold in 20-pack, 25-pack, and in cartons. The recalled cigarettes were manufactured in Mexico and sold between August 2021 to June 2022 across Canada in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Saskatoon, and the Northwest Territories. A full list of the recalled products, including identifying codes and the regions they were sold, can be found by clicking here. Per Canada's health agency, the traceability code for the individual cigarette packages is located on the bottom of the individual pack and carton, and the UPC code is located on the side of the individual cigarette package and on the side of the carton. The agency said that more than 10 million packages of the recalled cigarettes were sold in Canada.

Health Canada issued the recall after the cigarettes failed to pass the federal health agency's sampling and evaluation program, as they did not meet the performance standards required by the Cigarette Ignition Propensity (Consumer Products) Regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. That act requires that "all cigarettes manufactured in or imported into Canada must burn their full length no more than 25% of the time." Those cigarettes that fail to meet that performance requirement "pose an increased fire hazard," with the agency noting that cigarettes "that are dropped onto furniture, bedding or other textile products may cause a fire to start."

Although the company has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada as of July 12, consumers are still advised to immediately stop use of the recalled products. Consumers should contact the distributor, Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited, to return the recalled product for a replacement product. The distributor can be contacted via telephone at 1-800-932-9326, Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET, or consumers can file an online complaint with them here. Health Canada also noted that "the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits recalled products from being redistributed, sold or even given away in Canada."