US
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has threatened Walmart, Kroeger, Family Dollar, and more than a half dozen convenience store chains with penalties and fines for illegally selling tobacco products to minors.
FDA has given them 30 days to submit a detailed plan describing how they will mitigate illegal tobacco sales to minors. The agency has also emphasized that breaking the law and paying the fines “should not simply be viewed as a cost of doing business.”
FDA has been inspecting tobacco sellers since 2010 to ensure compliance with federal rules prohibiting sales to minors. The inspections found violations at as few as 15% of the Casey’s General Store locations that were inspected to as many as 41% of the Marathon Petroleum gas stations that were checked. Walmart’s violation rate was around 17% and 7-Eleven’s around 25%., while BP and Citgo both had violation rates of 35%.