Legal Basis and Scope of Tobacco Product Label Supervision
📌 Supervision of tobacco product labels is legally based on Government Regulation Number 109 of 2012 concerning the Safety of Materials Containing Addictive Substances in the form of Tobacco Products for Health.
🔎 The scope under the Badan POM (National Agency of Drug and Food Control) includes monitoring the inclusion of pictorial health warnings (PHW) and health information on packaging, verifying nicotine and tar content claims, and overseeing the reporting and testing of samples.
🔬 PHW and general label oversight are conducted by Badan POM along with regional centers (Balai Besar/Balai/Loka POM), while nicotine/tar content verification testing is primarily centralized under Badan POM.

Key Definitions in Tobacco Regulation
♦️ A Tobacco Product is defined as a product made wholly or partly from tobacco leaf material, intended for use by burning, inhaling, or chewing.
💬 Health Warnings are defined as graphic images and text providing information and education about smoking risks.
🧪 Nicotine is an addictive substance in tobacco products causing dependence, while Tar is the total residue condensate produced when a cigarette burns, known to be carcinogenic.

Tobacco Label Supervision Process Flow
🔄 Regional centers (Balai Besar/Balai/Loka POM) conduct sampling of packaging based on established plans and evaluate them, reporting findings to Badan POM’s Directorate of Supervision.
🧪 Sampling of tobacco products is also performed to verify that nicotine and tar levels match those stated on the packaging; samples are sent to reference laboratories like P3MN or regional centers in Semarang and Surabaya for testing.
✅ Badan POM verifies the packaging evaluation reports and test results, providing feedback; non-compliance necessitates follow-up actions, including facility inspections.

Label Content and Health Warning Requirements
🖼️ There must be 5 different variants of graphic health warnings (PHW), evaluated at least every 24 months, covering 40% of the area on the front and back panels (widest sides).
❗ Health information required includes nicotine/tar content (on a side panel), a statement prohibiting sales to persons under 18 and pregnant women, production codes, and manufacturer addresses.
🚫 It is strictly prohibited to include misleading or promotional information, such as terms indicating superior quality, flavor, safety, or personality association (e.g., "light," "ultralight," "premium").

Enforcement and Sanctions
⚖️ Violations of tobacco product labeling regulations are subject to administrative sanctions, such as verbal or written warnings issued to producers/importers, with copies sent to Customs and relevant ministries.
🛑 More severe follow-up actions may include product recall, recommendations for temporary cessation of activities, and referral for criminal sanctions.
❌ Examples of non-compliant packaging include those using promotional language ("high quality tobacco," "natural stamina formula"), tax stamps obscuring the PHW, using outdated PHWs, or having nicotine/tar test results that contradict label claims.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The primary legal tool for tobacco label oversight is PP 109/2012, focusing heavily on mandated Pictorial Health Warnings (PHW) covering 40% of the packaging surface.
➡️ Producers must adhere to strict anti-promotional guidelines, banning words like "light," "premium," or any claim suggesting superior quality or safety.
➡️ The verification process involves both packaging evaluation and laboratory testing of nicotine/tar content, ensuring advertised levels match actual product composition.
➡️ Non-compliance triggers escalating sanctions, starting with written warnings and potentially leading to product recall and criminal action.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 27, 2025, 00:57 UTC