• Entrepreneurs
• Business information
• Certification
• CAFIA laboratories
• CAFIA opinions
• More information
• Consumers
• How to know the food market
• Results of CAFIA inspections
• Consumer rights
• List of risky sites
• Hoaxes
• Other visitors
• Press Releases
• Internships at CAFIA
• Public contracts

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority informs consumers and operators that a new system of traceability of tobacco products will be introduced since 20^th May 2019. The goal of the system is to deal with the issue of illegal trade with tobacco products in Europe. At the beginning, only cigarettes and tobacco for hand-rolling of cigarettes will be monitored.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/574 on technical standards for the establishment and operation of a traceability system for tobacco products came into force in 2018. Its elementary constituents are labelling of every single unit packaging, thus for example pack of cigarettes by a unique identifier, further providing all involved business entities starting from producers up to the first retails sellers (tobacco shop, supermarket, e-shop) and their equipment with identification codes, and finally reporting of data on tobacco products and their entering into a storage system.

Recording and data transmission into the traceability system will be newly carried out by means of an equipment (bar code reader and similar equipment) which will be able to scan unique identifiers and also enter information on financial transactions into storages. The extent of obligations varies depending on the position in the production, distribution and sale chain.

Every single unit packaging of tobacco products will be provided with a unique identifier. It is an alphanumeric code which is most frequently encrypted into one- or two-dimensional bar code irremovably placed on the product packaging. It could be a data matrix, a QR code or a DotCode.

Státní tiskárna cenin, s.p. will issue the identifiers in the Czech Republic. The issuer will accept applications both for identifiers of business entities and equipment and machines as well.

During their inspection activities, CAFIA inspectors will have the access to so-called secondary storage from where they will be able to gain information on the movement and sale of tobacco products within the whole supply chain. This new system will enable to reveal areas where tobacco products illegally enter the market.

For more details on the new obligations go to this article on the CAFIA websites.

Article by: Radoslav Pospíchal, CAFIA Officer for Media Communication,

+ 420 542 426 613

8^th February 2019