Comparison of labelling practices in products collected preban and postban
| Product characteristic | Flavour descriptor* | Graphic flavour descriptor† | Primary‡ label colour | Primary bottle colour | Graphic primary colour | ||||||||||
| Preban | Postban | P value | Preban | Postban | P value | Preban | Postban | P value | Preban | Postban | P value | Preban | Postban | P value | |
| Expressed§ flavours, n (%) | 109 (45.8) | 140 (44.2) | 0.792 | 47 (19.7) | 54 (17.0) | 0.493 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Implied flavours¶,n (%) | 53 (22.3) | 46 (14.5) | 0.028 | 24 (10.1) | 15 (4.7) | 0.030 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| No expressed or implied flavour indicated, n (%) | 67 (28.2) | 118 (37.2) | 0.012 | 166 (69.7) | 247 (77.9) | 0.024 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Presence of colours**, n (%) | – | – | – | – | – | – | 117 (49.2) | 155 (48.9) | 1.000 | 31 (13.0) | 96 (30.3) | <0.001 | 99 (41.6) | 102 (32.2) | 0.031 |
Totals do not add to 100%. Less than <5% of product images were unclear and illegible. Data not included in the table.
*Contains wording to suggest flavour, other than tobacco, independent to the brand or manufacturer name.
†Graphic refers to any image on the label or bottle independent of the brand or manufacturer logo.
‡Primary determined as the predominate colour observed in each the label, bottle and graphic.
§Expressed flavours refers to characterising or known flavour descriptors other than tobacco, such as ‘Watermelon’, or combination of established flavours, such as ‘Watermelon Lime’. Expressed graphics included overt flavour images, such as an orange or pineapple.
¶Implied flavours refers to ambiguous language other than brand or manufacturer name that suggests flavour name, such as ‘Pink Burst’. Implied graphics included images that may be perceived as contributing to flavour, such as a leaf (mint), snowflake or ice cube.
**Refers to colours as 1–14 on colour scale (online supplemental analysis 1, online supplemental figure S1). Data from this analysis were imputed as binary (coloured or not coloured). Products where colours were not present are not reported here. P value remains the same as presence of colours on products.