Manufacturing tobacco products — cigarettes, cigars, hand-rolling and pipe tobacco, and the processing of raw leaf — is one of the most heavily regulated manufacturing activities in the UK. Two things run in parallel. First, like any factory you must keep your people safe around machinery, tobacco dust and the casing and flavouring chemicals you use, and meet your duties as an employer. Second, the product itself is tightly controlled: standardised ("plain") packaging, product standards and ingredient reporting, excise duty, and a supply-chain track-and-trace system.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates workplace safety in Great Britain and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) in Northern Ireland. The tobacco-specific rules are overseen by a mix of bodies — the MHRA, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), Trading Standards and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Use the routes below to find the guides written for your business.
Find your route
Every tobacco manufacturer needs both routes below — the factory foundation and the tobacco-specific product and fiscal rules. Work through them in order, then confirm everything with the checklist.
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1
Run a safe factory and employ people
Whatever you make, start with the universal spine. Follow "Set up and run a safe tobacco factory" for your health and safety, COSHH controls on tobacco dust and casing chemicals, work equipment, manual handling, fire safety, insurance, equality and data protection duties.
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2
Meet your tobacco product, duty and track-and-trace obligations
The tobacco-specific regime: standardised packaging, product standards and ingredient reporting (the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, with MHRA notification for e-cigarettes), the general product safety baseline, excise duty and HMRC manufacturer approval, and the track-and-trace system. Follow "Meet your tobacco product, duty and track-and-trace obligations".
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3
Confirm you have covered everything
Finish with the tobacco manufacturer compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are met before a production run.
Open the guide you need
- Set up and run a safe tobacco factory — the universal factory and employment spine.
- Meet your tobacco product, duty and track-and-trace obligations — standardised packaging, product standards, excise duty and track-and-trace.
- Tobacco manufacturer compliance checklist — confirm you have covered everything.
Official sources
Authoritative starting points for tobacco manufacturing.