WARNING LETTER
Trekker Vapors LLP
MARCS-CMS 616217 —
July 23, 2021
Delivery Method:
VIA UPS and Electronic Mail
Product:
Tobacco
Recipient:
Recipient Name
Allan Kettle
Recipient Title
Owner
Trekker Vapors LLP
8014 Mountain Aire Loop SE
Olympia
,
WA
98503
United States
trekkervapors@gmail.com
Issuing Office:
Center for Tobacco Products
United States
July 23, 2021
WARNING LETTER
Dear Mr. Kettle:
The Center for Tobacco Products of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed your submissions to the FDA and our inspection records, and determined that Trekker Vapors LLP manufactures and distributes e-liquid products for commercial distribution in the United States, and that the e-liquid products are manufactured and offered for sale or distribution to customers in the United States.
Under section 201(rr) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. § 321(rr)), these products are tobacco products because they are made or derived from tobacco and intended for human consumption. Certain tobacco products, including e-liquid products, are subject to FDA jurisdiction under section 901(b) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 387a(b)) and 21 C.F.R. § 1100.1.
Please be aware that, effective August 8, 2016, FDA deemed additional products meeting the definition of a tobacco product, except accessories to these newly deemed products, to be subject to regulation under the FD&C Act. These products include, but are not limited to, electronic nicotine delivery systems (including e-cigarettes and e-liquids), cigars, and pipe tobacco. See Final Rule, Deeming Tobacco Products To Be Subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as Amended by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act; Restrictions on the Sale and Distribution of Tobacco Products and Required Warning Statements for Tobacco Products, 81 Fed. Reg. 28,974 (May 10, 2016), available at
https://federalregister.gov/a/2016-10685
.
The FD&C Act requires “new tobacco products” to have premarket authorization. A “new tobacco product” is any tobacco product that was not commercially marketed in the United States as of February 15, 2007, or any modified tobacco product that was commercially marketed after February 15, 2007 (section 910(a) of the FD&C Act; 21 U.S.C. § 387j(a)). Generally, a marketing authorization order under section 910(c)(1)(A)(i) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 387j(c)(1)(A)(i)) is required for a new tobacco product unless (1) the manufacturer of the product submitted a report under section 905(j) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 387e(j)) and FDA issues an order finding the product substantially equivalent to a predicate tobacco product (section 910(a)(2)(A) of the FD&C Act) or (2) the manufacturer submitted a report under section 905(j)(1)(A)(ii) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 387e(j)(1)(A)(ii)) and all modifications are covered by exemptions from the requirements of substantial equivalence granted by FDA under section 905(j)(3) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 387e(j)(3)).
New Tobacco Products Without Required Marketing Authorization Are Adulterated and Misbranded
FDA has determined that you manufacture, sell, and/or distribute to customers in the United States the following e-liquid products without a marketing authorization order: Trekker Vapors Back Country 3mg, Trekker Vapors Coldwater 3mg, Trekker Vapors Fireside 3mg, Trekker Vapors High Noon 3mg, Trekker Vapors Mystic 3mg, Trekker Vapors Summit 3mg, Trekker Vapors Sunrise 3mg, Trekker Vapors Switch Back 3mg, Trekker Vapors Trail Head 3mg, Trekker Vapors Sunset 3mg, and Trekker Vapors Waterfront 3mg.
The tobacco products listed above are new tobacco products because they were not commercially marketed in the United States as of February 15, 2007. These products do not have FDA marketing authorization orders in effect under section 910(c)(1)(A)(i) of the FD&C Act and are not otherwise exempt from the marketing authorization requirement. Therefore, these products are adulterated under section 902(6)(A) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 387b(6)(A)). In addition, they are misbranded under section 903(a)(6) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 387c(a)(6)) because a notice or other information respecting these products was not provided as required by section 905(j) of the FD&C Act. The doing of any act with respect to a tobacco product while such article is held for sale after shipment in interstate commerce which results in such product being adulterated or misbranded is a prohibited act under section 301(k) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 331(k)). Additionally, to the extent that a report was required under section 905(j) of the FD&C Act, the failure to provide such report is a prohibited act under section 301(p) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. § 331(p)).
Conclusion and Requested Actions
Your firm is a registered manufacturer with over 100 products listed with FDA. It is your responsibility to ensure that your tobacco products comply with each applicable provision of the FD&C Act and FDA’s implementing regulations. Failure to adequately address this matter may lead to regulatory action, including, but not limited to, civil money penalties, seizure, and/or injunction. However, this Warning Letter does not constitute “written notice” for purposes of section 303(f)(9)(B)(i)(II) of the FD&C Act. Please note that tobacco products offered for import into the United States that appear to be adulterated and/or misbranded may be detained or refused admission.
The violations discussed in this letter do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list. You should take prompt action to address any violations that are referenced above, as well as violations that are the same as or similar to the ones stated above, and take any necessary actions to bring your tobacco products into compliance with the FD&C Act.
Please submit a written response to this letter within 15 working days from the date of receipt describing your corrective actions, including the dates on which you discontinued the violative sale, and/or distribution of these tobacco products and your plan for maintaining compliance with the FD&C Act. If you believe that your products are not in violation of the FD&C Act, include your reasoning and any supporting information for our consideration. This letter notifies you of our findings and provides you with an opportunity to address them. You can find the FD&C Act through links on FDA’s homepage at
http://www.fda.gov.
Please note your reference number, ER2100169, in your response and direct your response to the following address:
DEM-WL Response, Office of Compliance and Enforcement
FDA Center for Tobacco Products
c/o Document Control Center
Building 71, Room G335
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002
If you have any questions about the content of this letter, please contact Lillian Ortega at (240) 402-9041 or Lillian.Ortega@fda.hhs.gov.
Sincerely,
/S/
Ann Simoneau, J.D.
Director
Office of Compliance and Enforcement
Center for Tobacco Products
cc:
Trekker Vapors LLP
8024 River Drive SE, Ste 305
Tumwater, WA 98501
Content current as of:
07/23/2021
Regulated Product(s)
Tobacco