Retailers should also have written policies that clearly state the regulations, laws and compliance policies. These policies should plainly state that minors should not have access to or be sold any tobacco products under any circumstance. These policies should be easily accessible and need to distributed to employees in writing and verbally. The FDA goes further, suggesting retailers have all of their employees sign these policies and that these documents should be kept in each employee’s HR records. As part of the training, retailers should initiate roleplaying, playing out different scenarios where the employee may have to refuse a sale due to a lack of appropriate identification or other cause. The employee should take a test of some sort to determine if he or she is fully aware of the laws, regulations and age verification rules at the end of the training program.
To read the FDA’s “Guidance for Industry: Tobacco Retailer Training Programs” in its entirety, click here. For all the latest legislation and FDA news impacting the tobacco industry, click here.
 has issued an updated guidance document aimed at helping retailers develop tobacco-training programs in their stores.){kind=link}